This is the Story
by GarvinMark
Summary: First Fanfiction-just an idea I had about having Eugene tell the story of "Tangled" to his kids, with comments and side scenes featuring the royal children :D
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: **First time writing fanfiction-driven by how much I love this movie :) What I would like to do is to describe the movie through the words of Eugene and have his children add in various comments of interest :D

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Tangled or any of its characters, including Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel. Disney owns them instead, and I only own the characters of the children.

* * *

The Prince Consort of Corona raced down the sun-filled hallway, a giggling, brown-haired five year-old attached to his back. She had her arms linked tightly around his neck, which was probably the reason he had started to slow down despite her urgings to go faster. Even as her ride turned a corner, the little girl glanced around and waved enthusiastically at her grandfather's butler, Ferdinand.

Ferdinand smiled and waved back, commenting to the guard beside him, "Looks like the weekend's here."

"Looks like it." The guard replied, smiling as the girl's shouts echoed in the next corridor.

Eugene ran forward and entered a large, spacious chamber dedicated to the entertainment of Corona's royal children. Stumbling to a halt, the human racehorse—or dragon, he had forgotten halfway through the game what his daughter had called him—dropped onto his knees and keeled over, panting.

The girl tumbled safely off him onto the carpet, her high-pitched laughter echoing about the high ceiling.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!" She said, immediately jumping up and tugging on her father's arms.

"Ginger-snap," Eugene said, wearily getting to his feet, "I think that it's time we do something a little less strenuous."

"Dad, she doesn't know what 'strenuous' means." His eldest daughter said, not taking an eye off the book she was reading.

"Yes, well your brother doesn't know what 'annoying' means either but you've used it plenty of times in the past week." Eugene looked over at his daughter and frowned, "What are you reading anyway? You don't have any lessons with the tutor on Saturday."

"Just a story, Dad."

"A story? Ooo! I want to read a story too, Daddy! Daddy, read me a story." Ginger, or Ginger-snap as her father affectionately called her, turned her big, emerald green eyes upon him pleadingly.

Eugene sighed, "_Great_, now you've given her another idea."

"At least it doesn't involve you being Maximus."

"Oh—so _that's_ why she kept saying 'giddy-up'. I knew she didn't say dragon."

"Dragons are way cooler than horses." The tousled head of the crown prince of Corona popped out of a toy box he had currently been searching through.

Eugene looked at his six year-old son in mild surprise, "Ah, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if Annabelle had kicked you out of the room."

"She couldn't catch me." His son said, flashing him a toothy grin before plunging back into the toy box and throwing out a stuffed bear and a rather beaten-up frying pan.

His father frowned as he leaned down to pick up the frying pan, "Why on earth is _this_ in here?"

"Daddy!"

Eugene looked at the girl hanging onto his hand, once again marveling at how green her eyes were. "Yes dear?"

"Tell me a story _pul-ease_!"

"Wow your eyes are just like your mother's, do you know that?" When she did nothing more than pout at him, the prince consort sighed and took a seat in front of a couch littered with stuffed animals and books. He leaned his back onto the cushions, glancing over at his son.

"Thomas, are you busy?"

The boy, having found what he had been searching for, looked up guiltily from where he had been aiming his slingshot at one of the windows. Eugene narrowed his eyes in a silent warning, and his son quickly trotted over to sit next to his father.

"Better," Eugene said, ruffling his son's dark hair. "You need a haircut."

"Mom said she'd get the court barber to cut it this afternoon." Thomas replied, sounding slightly resentful about the whole affair.

"Yes, well your mom could tell you a thing or two about haircuts." Eugene muttered, even as another plea for a story came from his youngest child.

"Dad, are you going to tell her a story or what?" Annabelle demanded, looking at him in a way that seemed suspiciously like his wife's most exasperated glare.

"All right, all right. I'll tell you the best story in my arsenal."

"Is it another Flynnigan Rider story?" Thomas asked excitedly.

"Yes and no. It includes a Flynnigan Rider, but you won't find it in any book, and you won't hear it from anyone who wasn't there to see it happen."

Annabelle sighed, "Not _that_ story again."

"Oh hush," Eugene said impatiently. "_You_ may have heard it before but your sister hasn't—and your brother falls asleep every time so he doesn't know the ending yet, either."

"You practically told it to me every night." Annabelle responded.

"Only when you were sick, if I recall. But you don't have to listen to it."

"Okay, I won't." She returned to her book, letting out a faint sniff of disapproval.

Eugene turned to his youngest daughter, "All right, Ginger-snap, get ready for the greatest story you've ever heard."

"What about Annie?" Ginger asked, clambering into her father's lap.

Eugene looked at Annabelle. She was sitting quite stiffly, her long, carefully-brushed hair arranged tidily across her shoulders while her unwrinkled skirt fanned out delicately over her bare feet. Oftentimes he thought she resembled her grandmother more than she resembled himself or his wife. Annabelle had gotten to be so regal and serious since her eleventh birthday. He could remember a time when she had shouted and yelled and giggled through every waking hour, and even into the night. Now, however, her interests had changed. Part of growing up, he guessed.

"Well, if your sister decides to come and listen, we won't stop her."

"But she's so _boring_." Thomas groaned, testing his slingshot with a thumb.

His father's brow wrinkled. "Thomas, what did I tell you about that word?"

"Don't use it for anyone but Tutor Reynolds."

"Exactly." Eugene smirked to himself and cast one last glance at Annabelle before starting.

"This," he paused for dramatic affect, "is the story of how I died…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: **Unfortunately, the Tangled DVD is not out yet so I'll have the guess as to dialogue... but I figured since Eugene is telling the story he probably doesn't get everything exactly right. :) Otherwise, I'm happy for the reviews, you guys are great! :D Hope you enjoy it! :D

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer: **Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story

* * *

"Nooo…" Ginger moaned, covering her eyes with her hands.

Eugene quickly shook his head, "No no no, don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and in fact—it's not even mine."

She peered up at him through her fingers, "It's not?"

He smiled, "Nope. This is a story about a girl. A girl named Rapunzel."

Thomas frowned, "Who's Rapunzel?"

"You'll find out. Now, a long time ago, a drop of sunlight fell down, down from the heavens. It landed upon a rugged cliff overlooking the wide, crashing sea. Slowly, the drop of sunlight drifted through the soft dirt and, after several days, spread out its shining tendrils. Then it blossomed into a shimmering, golden flower. But this wasn't just any flower. _This_," Eugene said confidently, "was a magic flower."

"Okay… so who's Rapunzel?" His son repeated.

"As I said before, you'll find out. Honestly, it's no wonder I never got through this story with you. You kept interrupting, just like-."

"Daddy." Ginger patted his arm in a small but impatient reminder that he had interrupted himself, yet again.

"Anyway, this flower was a magic flower because it had the power to heal people and make them well. But," he raised a finger, "you had to sing to it in order for the magic to work. It required a particular song that this wicked old witch invented. Her name was Gothel, and she was ancient—older than dinosaurs. So, every night she would creep out across the stony cliff face and sing to the flower, absorbing its magic to become young again. But greed consumed her, and she didn't share the flower's gift, determining to keep it to herself. She never once considered that other people needed the healing powers of the flower just as much as she did. But we'll get back to her later."

"Dad, you're skipping around." Annabelle said from where she sat with her back to them.

Eugene smirked, "I thought you weren't going to listen."

"I'm not. Just—try to stick to one thing."

"Annie stop interrupting the story!" Thomas bellowed, aiming his slingshot at his sister.

"_Oh-kay_," his father said, hastily confiscating the slingshot, "getting back to the story—many years passed after Gothel found the flower. She continued to secretly use its power even as people began to settle within the surrounding country. Then, a hop, skip and a boat-ride away from the flower's cliff top—a kingdom grew. It was a beautiful place, full of life and music—dancing, clapping, and general merrymaking. Every day seemed like a festival. All the townsfolk were good, hardworking people who loved their benevolent king and queen.

"And this queen, well, she was going to have a baby. But she became sick. The king and his physicians tried everything, yet nothing worked, and soon they became desperate to save the queen and her child. It's around times like these that people begin looking for a miracle. The king sent out his soldiers in search of a flower—the very same flower, actually, that Gothel had secreted away from the world.

"Then the night came and Gothel, just like she always did, hobbled along the seaside cliff and sang to the flower. Her frizzy white hair became midnight black, her wrinkles disappeared into smooth, healthy skin, and her bones strengthened so that she could stand upright again. Her eyes, however, remained the same: the color of ice, and just as cold.

"Suddenly, Gothel heard the voices of the king's soldiers, and she hid the flower under her basket of leaves. But, as she hurried away, she accidentally knocked the basket aside and the flower lifted its golden petals to the stars above.

"'We've found it! We've found it!' the soldiers shouted, hefting their shovels and carefully digging around the glimmering flower. They brought the flower to the king's physicians, who made the blossom into a medicine for the queen to drink. She immediately got better, her illness disappeared, and soon after, her baby was born. She was a beautiful baby girl with golden hair—hair that was as bright as the sun itself. And that girl, kids, was Rapunzel."

"Now I get it!" Thomas said, grinning in understanding.

Ginger gazed up at her father and asked breathlessly, "Was her hair pretty?"

"It was beautiful. Almost as nice as yours, Ginger-snap." He gently tugged a lock of her short hair, and she giggled.

"All right, then what happened?" His son demanded, even as he stole his slingshot from behind Eugene's back.

"Well, in celebration of Rapunzel's birth, her parents sent up a single, marshmallow-shaped lantern into the sky. It was a way of sharing their happiness with the kingdom, and the world."

"Don't we send up lanterns every year, Dad?" Thomas asked.

He nodded, "We do."

"Is it 'cause of the story?"

"Yep. Oh, and Thomas, give me back the slingshot." Eugene held out his hand and, groaning, the boy returned the slingshot.

"All right," his father said, "now for a time, the kingdom was happy and peaceful. But Gothel, you remember her?"

They nodded.

Eugene sighed, "Well, she was not happy that the king had taken and used her magic flower. She was starting to get older again, however, and she needed to find a solution fast or she wasn't going to be around anymore. So, do you know what she did?"

"What?" Both children asked in unison.

"She crept into the king and queen's bedroom, late at night, and sang to the sleeping princess as she lay in her crib. Rapunzel's golden hair began to glow, just like the flower did, and when Gothel touched it she became young again. Thinking to take a little piece for herself, Gothel cut a lock of the girl's hair. But it instantly turned brown and magicless. Being the greedy old witch she was, Gothel saw only one way to reclaim her magic flower. So she stole Rapunzel from her crib, taking her away from her true parents and the life she deserved."

Thomas scowled, "Meanie."

Ginger, however, whimpered slightly, "Daddy—I don't like this story…"

Eugene hugged her, murmuring comfortingly, "It gets better, I promise."

"Did Flynnigan Rider beat the old lady up?" His son asked, brightening at the possibility.

Eugene grinned, "Somewhat. Okay, now Gothel took Rapunzel to a clearing deep inside the forest across the water from the kingdom. In that clearing stood a tall tower, and Gothel, using a hidden door only she knew about, brought Rapunzel up to the tower room. A few years went by, and Gothel raised Rapunzel as her own daughter, teaching her to sing the song that made her hair glow. It went something like this."

Clearing his throat, Eugene began to sing softly in his strong voice: "_Flower, gleam and glow; let your power shine; make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt; change the Fate's design; save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine… what once was mine_."

"Mom sings that sometimes." Thomas muttered.

"I know she does."

"What happened next, Daddy?" Ginger asked.

Eugene took a deep breath, "Well, Gothel didn't tell Rapunzel about who she was or how she came to have magic hair—hair that should never be cut. In fact, she didn't tell her adopted daughter anything about the world except that it was a horrible place and that she was to never, ever go outside. But the tower could not hide everything.

"Every year, on her birthday, Rapunzel's real parents would send up hundreds of lanterns into the night sky, hoping that someday their princess would return. Rapunzel saw the lanterns from the tower windows and dreamed of one day seeing those floating lights in person. Somehow, she knew that they were meant for her. That they were special." He smiled at his children, "And that's only the beginning."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note**: I do have a certain reason why Rapunzel's children do not know her as 'Rapunzel'. Mostly, because I don't see them knowing their parents' first names anyway at that age. Another reason is that it will be more fun not having them find out until the very last minute. Of course, their eldest child knows the truth of the matter, but that won't show up until later! Oh, and thanks again for the reviews! :D they are much appreciated! :D

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and the story. I only own the children and side-notes.

* * *

"All right then," Eugene said quietly, "now several more years went by and the girl called Rapunzel grew up to be a beautiful young lady. As she grew, so did her hair, because Gothel would never permit it to be cut. By the time her eighteenth birthday rolled around, Rapunzel's golden hair streamed out behind her, a whopping seventy-feet worth of long, amazingly clean tresses. She also became very skilled with using her hair for various activities. Looping it up, she could use it as a rope to ascend the rafters of her tower room. She sometimes even wrapped it around herself as a blanket, and, when it was very long, used it as a whip to grab door handles."

"Can my hair do that?" Ginger asked, fingering her short mane.

"I don't think so, Ginger-snap. Rapunzel's hair was magical, and yours is not. Sometimes being normal is a good thing though."

Thomas nodded somberly, "Yeah, that way you don't get stuffed into some gloomy tower by a mean, wrinkly dinosaur."

Eugene smiled, "Ah, but Thomas, it wasn't _that_ gloomy of a tower. Rapunzel didn't just sit around bored all day. No, she did stuff."

His daughter looked at him, "What kind-of stuff?"

"EVERYTHING." Eugene said expressively, waving his hands in the air. His youngest children laughed even as his eldest merely rolled her eyes.

The Prince Consort of Corona began to list activities: "She cleaned, swept, waxed, and dusted the tower. She painted—every inch of wall and ceiling available—with designs straight out of her imagination. They were amazing designs full of color and happiness, much like the ones in here." He gestured at the room around them.

Both his children stared up at the many different scenes painted beautifully on the walls. There was the kingdom marketplace filled with smiling people—and the water surrounding the castle with ships skating across its flawless surface—and even the forest that rung the edges of the kingdom, each tree large and green with life. The royal children knew the handiwork very well, considering their mother had personally seen to every inch of the chamber. With the light lancing in from outside through the recently scrubbed, floor-length windows, the airy room appeared to be filled with a warm, welcome glow.

Eugene smiled slightly before continuing, "Rapunzel had many other hobbies aside from painting—though that was her favorite. But she also knitted, sculpted, sewed, did laundry, cooked, played guitar, did ventriloquy and even paper-mache."

"Daddy, what's paper-mache?" Ginger asked curiously.

Eugene shrugged, "I don't know, but whatever it was she did it. Rapunzel also read books—three books—over and over again until Gothel brought her new ones. She played chess, darts, put together puzzles, practiced a little bit of ballet on the side, and brushed _and_ brushed _and_ brushed _and_ brushed her hair."

"All by herself?"

"Well, she had this small green frog for a pet, who she named Pascal. He was her best friend."

Ginger smiled, "You mean like our Pascal? 'Cept he's a chameleon."

Thomas shook his head vigorously, retorting: "No he's not, Gin'! He's a frog!"

"Mommy says he's a chameleon!"

"Nope. Chameleons don't have long tongues like Pascal." To demonstrate, Thomas stuck out his tongue and waggled it at his sister, earning a glare in the process.

Eugene rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Actually, he may _have_ been a chameleon… I always forget."

"It was a chameleon, Dad." Annabelle said, closing her book and glancing over at her father and her two squabbling siblings.

"You know, for someone who's not listening you seem to be hearing an awful lot." Eugene replied, smiling at his daughter as she retrieved a sewing sampler from a nearby bookshelf.

"And for someone trying to tell a story, you keep forgetting to continue." She said smoothly.

Her father frowned, "Sometimes I wish you weren't quite so much like your mother."

"I know."

Turning away, Eugene was slightly surprised to find his son and daughter in a wrestling match on the floor in front of him. Well—okay, that part was not really surprising. What was surprising was that Ginger was the one who seemed to be winning.

Inserting two hands into the flailing pile of arms, he grabbed each child by the back of his or her shirt and easily separated them.

"Enough." He said loudly, causing both kids to freeze in mid-squirm. "Now apologize or I won't finish the story."

Immediately Ginger cuddled back up to her father and said, "Sorry, Thomas. Sorry, Daddy."

Thomas, on the other hand, muttered a rueful 'sorry' and went back to restealing his slingshot. Eugene pretended to not notice the small hand reaching behind his back, and instead began to speak again.

"Okay, where was I?"

"Pascal—the chameleon." Annabelle said helpfully.

"Right. Well, as I said before, Rapunzel was an amazingly talented girl who could do basically anything you can imagine. Her pet frog—chameleon, sorry—was her only friend aside from Gothel, whom she called 'Mother'. So, when she grew older, Rapunzel confided in Pascal and told him her dreams. One dream, in fact."

Ginger asked, "What was that?"

"Remember those lanterns that the king and queen sent up every year on her birthday? Well, Rapunzel wanted to see them up close because she knew they were special and she felt connected to them, somehow. And so the story _really_ starts on the day right before Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday. As the morning opens up, Rapunzel turns to her chameleon, assuring him that 'Today's the day, Pascal! Today's the day I'm going to ask Mother to take me to see the lights!'"

"Did she ask her?"

Eugene raised his hands, "Hold on, hold on, I'm getting to it. Wow, you guys are impatient. Okay, so there was this one window in Rapunzel's tower that had a hook hanging above it. Whenever Gothel returned to the tower she would call," he cupped his hands around his mouth, imitating a high-pitched holler ",'Rapunzel! Let down your haaaair!' Hearing Gothel's voice, Rapunzel would loop her hair over the hook and toss it out of the window, all the way down the tower and to the ground. Then, being remarkably strong for a small girl, Rapunzel hoisted Gothel up to the tower room as she hung onto her long hair."

Ginger looked at her father in confusion, "The bad lady didn't live with her?"

He shook his head, "Not then. See, when Rapunzel grew old enough, Gothel no longer had to live in the tower to keep her there. By that point, Gothel had tricked Rapunzel into staying in the tower because of all the lies she had told her about the outside world. She restricted Rapunzel's freedom through treachery hidden behind a mask of kindness—and that is the worst thing she could have possibly ever done."

His children watched him, hearing the change in his voice. He sounded…angry. Angry and very sad.

"Daddy? Are you okay?"

Eugene shook his head, breaking away from his dark thoughts, "I'm okay, Ginger-snap. I just don't like this part very much."

"You can skip it." She suggested timidly.

"Nah, you need to hear it. Anyway, Gothel ascended the tower by way of Rapunzel's hair and asked her to sing for her. It had become a ritual for the two of them: Rapunzel would sit on a stool in front of Gothel while she brushed her hair, and Rapunzel would sing the song that made her hair glow and replenish Gothel's strength. So, after singing Gothel's youth back into her, Rapunzel made her request: 'Mother, can you take me to see the floating lights for my birthday?'

"However, Gothel refused to allow it. She had to ensure that her magic flower remained trapped where she could get to her. In an effort to scare Rapunzel away from the idea, Gothel went into a singing tirade about how overwhelmingly evil the world would seem to a girl who was 'as fragile as a flower'. She claimed that Rapunzel would be robbed by 'ruffians and thugs' or wander into 'poison ivy and quicksand' or, my personal favorite, 'trampled by a rhino'."

Thomas narrowed his eyes, "A rhino? Where are they going to find a rhino?"

Eugene shrugged, "Beats me. But, through years and years of these empty lies, Gothel managed to convince Rapunzel that everyone and their second cousin's pet monkey was after her hair. With this list of threats, Gothel frightened her adopted daughter into agreeing to remain in her tower, again. And then Gothel descended down from the tower by using Rapunzel's hair—leaving her with no hope to see the floating lights up close."

His son punched his fist into his hand, "When is Flynnigan Rider gonna beat her up?"

Eugene frowned, "I don't remember you being this violent. Give me back that slingshot."

Thomas returned the weapon for the second time that morning, moaning. Annabelle looked over at her father, "When _is_ Flynnigan Rider going to show up?"

"Well," Eugene rose to his feet, "although you're not supposed to be listening, Annie, I suppose I can answer your question. Now, my dear Thomas, let me tell you about the most interesting character of the story."

"Who's that?" Ginger asked as her father set one foot onto an overturned box to be framed by the morning sunlight.

"Shhh." Thomas elbowed his sister in the ribs, earning a glare he did not see. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the man before him—his hero, the swashbuckling, brave adventurer, Flynn Rider.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note**: There were some questions in the reviews about Annabelle's age. As far as I can figure, she is around 11-12 years of age, but acts much older. Blame it on her intelligence and for having Eugene as a dad Oh, and I realized that I mixed up some of the sequences of the movie, but I think it works out okay since it helps separate the characters. I was also listening to Pirates of the Caribbean music last night and you should be able to catch a bit of that thrown in here today hope you enjoy it! :D Thanks again for the reviews, I really appreciate them!

P.S. One last thing: my brother's getting married this week so I don't know if I can keep posting each day but… I can try

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Tangled, its characters and its story, belong to Disney. I only own the children and the side-comments

* * *

"Now, before I start this part of the story, I want to ask you a question," Eugene said, slipping into his 'Flynn Rider' persona of lofty voice. "Have you ever heard about Flynn Rider?"

Thomas nodded vigorously, but Ginger shook her head.

Their father frowned, "I need to start telling you those stories, then, Ginger-snap. All right, well, let me tell you about Flynn Rider. Flynn Rider was a tall, strong, handsome fellow. He had wavy brown hair, a small goatee," he touched the neatly trimmed beard at his chin, "and the most desirable nose west of the Lockridge Mountains. Unfortunately," Eugene sighed, truly sounding disappointed, "none of the artists who did his wanted posters ever managed to get it just right."

"Wanted posters?" Thomas shook his head, "I don't remember any wanted posters."

Eugene nodded, "You wouldn't, Thomas. The reason for this is because that man is a different Flynn Rider. The one in this story was not the richest man in the world—though he wanted to be. No, _this_ Flynn Rider was different because," and his voice lowered slightly ", he was a thief."

"A thief!"

"Yes, he was a thief, bandit, or any other name for the most notorious burglar the kingdom had ever seen. He was very good at his job and, when we find him in this story, Flynn was actually attempting the grandest heist of his career. Attempting it around the very time Rapunzel asked Gothel to take her to see the lanterns."

Eugene stooped slightly and began to sneak around the room, "Flynn scurried across the palace rooftop, morning sunlight warming his back as his feet lightly tread upon slippery shingles. Behind him, huffing somewhat, crept his not-as-talented accomplices—the Stabbington Brothers. They were big, hulking figures," he raised his shoulders and lowered his head, imitating the stance of a gorilla, "with short-cropped red hair and pale scars stretching across their grimy faces. One had an eye-patch and the other one, the taller of the two, had bushy sideburns each the size of a small bush. All three bandits were tough and skilled, though of course, as you all can probably guess," he grinned broadly, "Flynn Rider was the best among them."

"So, he's still better than the other guys?" Thomas asked, watching his father trot carefully around the minefield of toys strewn about the floor.

Eugene shrugged, "I'd say so."

"But aren't thieves bad?"

"It's never a good thing to steal and, sadly enough, Flynn had stolen much of his way through life. He stole to eat, to sleep, to pay the bills—though never to the king—and to get rich enough so that he could buy his own island."

"What for?" Ginger asked, even as Eugene leaned nonchalantly on a desk that was meant for a five year-old.

Her father's face fell slightly, and he answered, "I honestly don't know. But he wanted one anyway, and in order to get it, he was going to steal something incredibly valuable."

"What's that?"

Eugene smiled wryly, "A crown. But not just any crown. He," he reached across the desk and picked up one of his daughter's tiaras from the edge of the table, "was going to steal the crown of the lost princess."

"That's Rapunzel, right?"

"Right. But since they had not found their daughter, the king and queen kept her crown in the palace chapel. It was surrounded by guards inside and out, and was probably the most protected royal artifact in the kingdom. But, Flynn and his fellow thugs had found a way to reach the crown without disturbing the soldiers. Instead of doing what hundreds of thieves had tried before them, these three bandits approached the crown from above."

Eugene knelt and pretended to pry up a piece of the imaginary roof, "Taking up some of the shingles, the Stabbington Brothers glanced over to where Flynn was standing, admiring the kingdom. Their accomplice sighed dreamily, 'I could get used to a view like this'. After another second he nodded to himself, 'Yep, I'm used to it. Guys, I want a castle.' Growling out the response, 'If we do this job right, you can have your own castle', the Stabbington brothers strapped Flynn with rope and lowered him down into the depths of the quiet chapel. With careful hands, and hardly daring to breathe, Flynn reached forth and snatched up the crown." Eugene retrieved the crown from where he had set it upon the floor.

Thomas gazed at him, open-mouthed, "Did he get caught?"

"Well, at that moment, one of the guards—there were about five in number, all facing the door with their backs to the crown—let out a sneeze. Flynn, being the witty guy he was, could not help but ask 'Hay fever?' The soldier nodded, 'Yeah.' But then he realized what had happened, and all the men turned around to watch as the crown of their lost princess disappeared through the roof above. They yelled out 'Stop! Wait! Wait!' but to no avail, for the three thieves had descended from the palace walls and were now racing through the town below.

"Darting in and out of the marketplace shops, Flynn and his illegal compatriots quickly made their way out onto the main street of the city. They could already hear the bells of the guard tower ringing furiously as soldiers ran to the stables and clambered onto their mounts. The Captain of the Guard himself—a determined, mustachioed man—took the lead and began the chase out of the city gates. His horse was a white stallion, intelligent and faster than lightning, and he too, had one goal in mind. That goal, my dear children, was justice."

"Justice?"

"Yes, Ginger-snap, justice. They were going to catch Flynn Rider, and his accomplices that no one really cared much about, and finally see the man behind bars. But instead, they didn't realize that today was the day, that they would always remember was the day that they _almost_ caught, the infamous thief, Flynn Rider."

"So no one caught him, then?" His son asked, grinning at the idea of being uncatchable.

"Well, I wouldn't say that because _someone_ did catch Flynn that day. But at this moment, Flynn and the Stabbington Brothers had entered the forest that lay across the water from the kingdom. It was an enormous forest, full of shady trees and plenty of places for a thief to hide. Unfortunately for Flynn and the gorilla-men, the Captain of the Guard knew most of those places. He was very good at finding criminals, this Captain. His horse was even better."

Ginger smiled, "Was he like Maximus?"

Eugene smirked, "Exactly like Maximus. In fact, I'm going to call his horse 'Maximus' from now on, just because they are so much alike. Anyway, the three thieves ran down a slight dip in the forest, the sounds of soldiers shouting and horses snorting echoing in the trees behind them. Flynn looked up in surprise," Eugene raised his arms in front of him, "before them was a wall of stone—cut into the forest floor and nigh impossible to get over. They couldn't go back, not with the guards following them. Time was disappearing fast and there seemed to be only one option of escape.

"So Flynn turned around and tried to get the Stabbington Brothers to form a human ladder for him to scale. 'Give me a boost,' Flynn said, 'and I'll pull you up!' The gorilla-men did not trust Flynn, so they made him give them the bag that had the crown in it. But, Flynn stole back the satchel even as he climbed up his erstwhile companions. The sideburn bush-face brother held up a huge hand, demanding, 'All right, pull us up.' Flynn, however, merely grinned and revealed the crown he had stolen. 'Sorry boys,' he said smugly, 'my hands are full.' Then, as Flynn ran away, he could hear Bush-face's bellow," Eugene took a deep breath and roared, 'RIDERRRRRRR!'"

Thomas grinned admiringly, "Wow he's good."

Eugene shook his head, "In some ways, maybe, but he was pretty selfish at first. Okay, so Flynn was running through the forest when suddenly," he ducked, "Three of the king's fastest horses came flying out of nowhere, each with a soldier astride upon its back. They leveled their crossbows and shot at the thief. Flynn dove forward as several bolts 'plunked' into the soft earth behind him. He hastily straightened and sped onward, slipping underneath an overturned tree. The Captain of the Guard barked orders at his soldiers, 'Secure the crown at all costs!' His men replied with a resounding 'Yes sir!' and spurred their horses on, hooves cutting into the grassy turf of the forest floor.

"Then," Eugene leapt forward, "Flynn jumped through the branches of a wide tree. The two other men were unable to steer their horses around it, but the Captain of the Guard reined in Maximus and they both charged through the woods, intent on capturing the elusive, the dashing, the absolutely amazing-."

"Dad, I think we get it." Annabelle interrupted her father, effectively deflating his ego.

Thomas glared at his sister and snapped, "Annie stop talking! Flynn is gonna escape and whack the old rhino lady!"

"Did Flynn win?" Ginger asked, turning her big green eyes upon Eugene.

He cleared his throat, "Well, Flynn did win one battle. As the captain continued to pursue him, Flynn realized he had to cut the chase soon. Thinking fast, he climbed onto a nearby boulder, took hold of the vines hanging down from a tree and waited…" he watched his youngest children, a small smile coming over his face. Then, quite suddenly, Eugene let out a loud, 'ah ha!' and mimed a kick in the direction of the imaginary Captain of the Guard.

Thomas fell over laughing as his sister jumped a foot in the air.

Eugene continued to narrate, "With a flying leap, Flynn knocked the captain off his horse and seized Maximus's reins. He prepared to make a quick escape again when, strangely enough, his mount skidded to a halt. Flynn glared at the creature, ordering: 'Come on, Fleabag, forward!' But do you know what that horse did?"

They both shook their heads.

"He tried to steal back the satchel containing the crown! Maximus snapped at it with his horsey teeth—literally horsey teeth—and pretty much fought with Flynn all the way to the edge of a cliff. Then, there was a 'thwack!' and the satchel flew out of Flynn's hand and landed around the very last branch of a tree that had grown out over the cliff. Immediately the thief shoved Maximus aside and tried to reach the crown. They both continued to struggle with one another until an ominous cracking sound met their ears."

"Uh oh." Ginger said, even as Thomas sat up, his eyes wide and intense.

Eugene made a raspy crunching sound deep in his throat, "With an abrupt, grinding 'crunch', the tree they were standing upon tore clean away from the cliff and fell down the side of its rocky face. It struck again and again upon the ragged stone, Maximus and Flynn holding on for dear life as they yelled in terror. Then, suddenly it broke in half, causing both horse and thief to tumble onto the green slope below. Maximus immediately jumped up and began searching for Flynn, his nose to the ground and his annoyingly-keen horse senses atingle with fervency."

Thomas leaned forward, "What happened to Flynn?"

"He was hiding from Maximus. Then, reaching out behind him, Flynn discovered a secret passage leading away from the forest. He could hear the horse getting closer, and quickly, Flynn slipped into the tunnel and made his way out onto the other side. What he saw next nearly made him drop his satchel."

"Was it the mean scary lady?" His youngest daughter asked.

Eugene shook his head, "Nope."

"Was it the horse?"

"Not even close."

"Dad, tell them what it was." Annabelle said impatiently.

He smiled, "Flynn walked out into a large, mountainous basin. Healthy green grass grew at his feet and a rippling brook tumbled down from a nearby waterfall. But what made him stop—what made his very heart stop, he was so stunned to see it—was the sight of a tall, ivy-tangled tower rearing up from the very center of the clearing. Never before had he seen such a structure, and much less was he expecting to find it here, deep in the forest of all places. It was as if he had accidentally tripped into a whole other world.

"Now, the thief needed a hiding place badly. He could still hear Maximus snorting and knew that the rest of the palace guards were not far away. So, he approached the tower, looking for the door. But there was no door, and instead, the tower just stood straight up, unattainable by any means of a normal man. However, Flynn Rider was _not_ a normal man. He was a thief, and he had spent his life getting into places that normal men would never dare to tread.

"So, using his ingenuity, he fetched two arrows belonging to the palace guard. Then he plunged the arrow tips between the stones of the tower and began to climb. Wind rustled past him in the silence, and Flynn made very sure not to look down until he reached the top. Finding a windowsill, he heaved himself up and through the shutters, landing carefully within a wide, open room.

"It was dim in the room, as if someone had turned out most of the lights, and eerily quiet. For a moment, Flynn stood still and searched for any signs of life. Upon seeing none, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to the satchel in his hand. Unbuckling the flap, Flynn glanced down to see the sparkling crown. Then, suddenly, there was a sharp pain at the back of his head, followed by complete and utter blackness." Eugene finished, his voice a mere whisper.

Thomas let out a moan and Ginger clapped a hand over her mouth.

Their father smiled at them, "Now, you won't believe what happened next…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note**: Okay, sorry for not posting :D But I had to see my bro get married to the greatest possible girl God could have ever given him :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next bit-there's a lot of dialogue at that point in the movie, so apology for not getting everything completely right :) Oh and thanks for all the reviews and for sticking with me so far! I really appreciate it! :D

"_Soli Deo Gloria_"

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story. I only own the kids and their reactions.

* * *

"What happened next? What happened next!" Ginger demanded before once again clapping her hands over her mouth.

Thomas watched as Eugene pulled a chair over to them, "Was it the bad old lady? Tell us Dad, tell us!"

Eugene smiled and picked up the frying pan he had left lying on the floor. Then he sat down in the chair, asking dramatically, "Do you _really _want to know?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"I mean, are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, Dad _PLEASE_!" His son begged, coming over and hugging his father about his knee.

"Okay then," Eugene replied, smiling as his kids let out a sigh of relief. "Well, this tower that our thief, Flynn Rider, happened to find was none other than the same tower Rapunzel had been trapped in for almost eighteen years. If she had been around, Gothel would have immediately disposed of our beloved Flynn. But by that point in the morning, Gothel had left the tower, and only Rapunzel and her green pet-thing Pascal remained.

"Now, Gothel had told Rapunzel time and time again that everyone was out to get her hair. So, the first thing Rapunzel thought upon seeing Flynn Rider, was that Gothel was right and someone _had_ finally found her and her magic hair. Seizing the only weapon she could think of, Rapunzel snuck up behind our master thief and smacked him over the head with a frying pan. _This_ frying pan, in fact." Eugene held up the battered frying pan, watching as its iron body shined dully in the sunlight.

"You mean you have the real frying pan?"

"Yep—hard as the day it was made and chockfull of dents from being smashed on Flynn Rider's head."

Thomas frowned, "Wait… how did _you_ get it?"

"Family heirloom, dear boy."

"What's that mean?" Ginger asked, gaping up at the frying pan.

"I'll explain later. Anyway, so after successfully knocking out Flynn Rider, Rapunzel crept across the floor to examine his unconscious body." Eugene rose out of the chair and pretended to be approaching the imaginary still form of the thief. "With a swift, deft movement, Rapunzel flipped up the bangs of the snoozing rouge and proceeded to admire his devilishly-handsome features.

"She saw that he had a very finely-sculpted face—his nose was, as I said before, positively stupendous—and that his shining white teeth were anything but the pointy fangs Gothel had told her all men had," he grinned widely at his children, letting out a slight laugh when Ginger giggled. "Rapunzel was amazed. Here was a person who did not look like the ugly, cruel brutes Mother Gothel had warned her about. But, she couldn't help but wonder, what could the man have wanted with coming here?

"Then, suddenly, Flynn's eyes snapped open. For about five seconds he lay there with a splitting headache, trying to figure out why he was on the floor. Yet, blackness came over again when Rapunzel hit him over the head with her frying pan out of fright. She had to do something—and so far, she did not know if she could trust this strange intruder. Without further to do, Rapunzel wrapped her hair around the thief and, using it like a rope, she dragged him across the floor and over to her wardrobe. It took several, rather painful tries before she succeeded in locking the comatose bandit into the wardrobe. But once she had, Rapunzel had successfully captured one of the most wanted criminals in the kingdom."

Thomas bemoaned the fate of his hero: "Nooo… Flynn'll escape, won't he?"

Eugene shrugged, "You'd be surprised by what this girl can do. I know I was."

"What do you mean, '_you_ were'?"

His father shook his head, "Sorry, I meant Flynn was surprised, not me. Anyway, Rapunzel swung her frying pan around in her hand, gazing in the mirror, rather impressed by her recent capture. 'Too weak to handle myself, huh, Mother? Well say that to my frying pa- ow!'" Eugene held his head, "the poor girl whacked herself in the forehead with her own weapon. However, this led her to notice something that was glimmering on the floor of her tower. Rapunzel walked over and discovered the thief's dropped satchel. Inside, just poking out, was the crown belonging to the lost princess."

Ginger jumped up and down, "Ooo! Did she put it on, Daddy? Did she remember who she was?"

He tilted his head to the side, replying, "Not exactly. Prompted by her pet fr—chameleon, Pascal, Rapunzel _did_ try on the shining crown. It fit her head precisely, nestled upon her golden hair like an artist's final detail to his masterpiece. For a second, Rapunzel just stared at her own reflection, noticing a faint familiarity about it. But then she heard Gothel's voice calling up from outside: 'Rrrapunzel! Let down your haaaair!' Hastily shoving the crown back into the satchel and then dumping the bag into a nearby pot, Rapunzel went over to the window. She looped her hair over the hook and threw it down to the waiting Mother Gothel. As Gothel ascended the tower she cried, 'I have a surprise for you!' But what she didn't know, was that Rapunzel had a surprise of her own."

"But Rapunzel's surprise is bigger, right?" Ginger said gleefully, smiling at the small grin that crossed her father's face at her words.

"Yep, hers was much bigger. Okay, so Gothel reached the top of the tower and began to talk to Rapunzel about making hazelnut soup for her birthday. Rapunzel tried to ask her about seeing the floating lights again. She wanted to show Gothel the strange man resting slumped in her wardrobe, and to convince her that she could go outside and protect herself. However, when she tried to bring it up, Gothel grew angrier and screamed 'Enough with the lights Rapunzel! YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! E-EVER!'"

All three of his children jumped in shock, amazed that their father could shriek so loudly.

Trembling, Ginger asked, "D-did Rapunzel tell her about the thief?"

Eugene shook his head, "She never got a chance. Right when Gothel howled at her, Rapunzel knew that no amount of proof would ever secure her a trip out of the tower. The girl, however, had other ideas milling around in that blonde head of hers. Thinking fast, Rapunzel carefully asked Gothel if she would bring her back some new paint for her birthday. "Gothel, who was currently reclining in a chair and moaning about parenting, replied that the trip to get the paint would take three days. But Rapunzel's last words convinced her. Quietly, Rapunzel mumbled that she 'thought it would be better than the stars.' Gothel sighed and relented—_anything_ to keep her magic flower right where she wanted her. So Gothel departed, off to the seashore to get the shells required to make the paint Rapunzel had talked about."

"But how will she see the lights now that the mean lady is gone?"

Eugene smirked, "That is where Flynn Rider comes in. See, after Gothel left, Rapunzel opened the door of her wardrobe and watched apprehensively as Flynn dropped onto the floor. He was still unconscious, so Rapunzel—being the incredibly strong girl she was—tied up the thief with her hair again and strapped him into a chair."

Eugene went back to the chair he had gotten and seated himself. He gestured at his hands, clenched upon the armrests, "Rapunzel tied his wrists to the arms of the chair, and also shackled his feet onto the chair's legs. She wrapped him tightly into a sitting-up position and dragged the chair slowly into the light of the window. Then, and only then, did Pascal scurry up onto Flynn's shoulder to wake him. First, he tried hitting the man," he made a slapping motion with his hand, "but that didn't work. So, resorting to his only other alternative, Pascal opened his mouth and shot-."

Something wet, cold, and mysteriously slimy plunged itself directly into Eugene's ear. Flinching, Eugene nearly fell out of the chair as his wife's pet chameleon dangled from the side of his head, his tongue lodged deep into his ear.

All three of Eugene's children laughed uproariously as their father shook the chameleon off.

"Did you just _have_ to do that?" The Prince Consort demanded, glaring at Pascal. The chameleon let out a low, satisfied chuckle and leapt off from the chair and into Ginger's lap.

Eugene watched in grim frustration as his youngest daughter picked the chameleon up and cuddled him against her cheek. Pascal switched temporarily to a happy yellow color and gently thrummed out a purr.

"Was that what Pascal did?" Ginger asked, smiling.

Her father nodded, muttering through gritted teeth, "Yes. That's _exactly_ what Pascal did."

Thomas looked at Eugene, "Did Flynn Rider wake up?"

Eugene replied sourly, "He did. After all, it's kind-of hard to ignore some chameleon's tongue in your ear, and Flynn had never experienced that before. Instantly, Flynn's eyes snapped open and Pascal was knocked off his shoulder by his movement. The thief gazed around in confusion, slowly realizing that he was tied to a chair. But what was around him didn't feel like rope—it didn't even look like rope."

The Prince Consort mimicked the thief of his story and stared down at hair that only he could see. "Eventually, Flynn saw that he wasn't strapped in by rope. Raising his head, Flynn followed the golden stream and asked: 'Is this… hair?' Then a quavering voice came from above him, and he glanced up to see a form huddled against one of the rafters. 'Struggling—struggling is pointless' the figure said, fear quite evident in what Flynn immediately recognized as a girl's voice. Our thief frowned, 'What?' Then his captor jumped nimbly down from the rafter and stood back in shadow, muttering, 'I know why you're here and—I'm not afraid of you.'"

Thomas's forehead wrinkled, "She wasn't? But why not? Flynn Rider's the best fighter ever!"

"Well, apparently he had met his match," Eugene replied, sounding amused. "Anyway, ever so slowly, Rapunzel emerged from the darkness. First, all Flynn could see was a delicate, bare foot—but soon the whole girl appeared. And she was-," he looked down, "she was definitely beautiful. She had the long, golden hair—and she had big expressive eyes the color of emeralds. Freckles danced across her tiny nose and cheeks, and Flynn could tell that, if she wanted to, the girl could give a terrific smile. And then he noticed something else—she was glaring at him, even as she demanded: 'Who are you, and how did you find me?'"

"What did Flynn say?" Ginger asked eagerly.

Eugene sighed, "Being the slightly obnoxious guy he was, Flynn responded very archaically—that means old-fashioned—and said, 'I know not who you are or how I came to be here, but may I just say—hi.'"

"He just said 'hi'?"

Her father nodded, "Sure did, Ginger-snap. He also proceeded to introduce himself, but was immediately threatened with this frying pan." Eugene held up the instrument and smirked, "Rapunzel asked him, 'Who else knows of my location, _Flynn Rider_?' Flynn replied back, 'All right, Blondie-.' 'Rapunzel.' The girl corrected him. 'Gesundheit. Here's the deal: I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and f—_ho_-_oh_ _no_! Where is my satchel?'"

"It's in the pot, Flynn!" Thomas shouted enthusiastically.

His younger sister frowned, "Shhh! Don't let him find out!"

"Why not? It's _his_ satchel."

"But it's Rapunzel's crown!"

Eugene watched as this small argument took place, his face breaking out into a smile. Annabelle, who seemed to have been losing interest in her sewing sample, wandered over and set a hand on her father's shoulder. He looked at her.

"Yes, dear?"

"Just keep talking, they'll listen eventually."

"And what are you going to do, Annabelle?"

She shrugged, "Listen too, I suppose. This _is_ one of my favorite parts after all."

Eugene's smile broadened into a rather smug grin. Then he turned towards his youngest children and resumed, "Well, Rapunzel simply folded her arms over her chest and said, confidently, 'I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it.' Flynn glanced around at his surroundings for five seconds. Using his enhanced thieving skills, he spotted the object of his search almost directly. Pointing a finger to his left, Flynn asked, 'It's in that pot, isn't it?' Then there was another loud clang from the frying pan, and before he knew it, Flynn Rider once again had Pascal's tongue stuck firmly in his ear."

"Just like you, Pascal." Ginger said, smiling down at the chameleon now nestled in the folds of her dress.

Her father rolled his eyes, "Yep—_just_ like Pascal. Anyway, upon being reawakened by reptile saliva, Flynn knew at once that he was in trouble. There he was, trapped by a strange girl with ridiculously long hair and a chameleon with an equally ridiculously long tongue. They had taken away his satchel, and for all he knew the palace guards were on the way to arrest him. But then, Rapunzel began to speak again. 'Now,' she said, smirking, 'you'll never find it.'"

Thomas groaned even as Ginger beamed triumphantly up at her father.

Eugene continued speaking, shifting his eyes around the room, "Flynn tried to find the satchel again, but there was no obvious, flower-printed pot this time. Then he noticed that Rapunzel had started walking around his chair, waving her frying pan dangerously close to his perfect nose. She was saying something—asking him about her hair and whether or not he came to cut it, steal it, or sell it… Which of course, Flynn simply replied that he wanted nothing more to do with her hair, than to get out of it!

"Rapunzel stopped, stunned by his response. She asked, 'You—you don't want my hair?' Flynn protested vigorously, '_No_! Why on earth would I want your hair?' Of course, Rapunzel couldn't answer that question. But she had an idea. Scooping up her chameleon in her hands, Rapunzel turned away from the thief and had a quick, whispered discussion with the little reptile. Then she turned back to Flynn and announced, 'I'm prepared to offer you a deal.' As she said this, the girl climbed up onto the mantle of her fireplace and drew back a curtain that hung upon the wall. Unfortunately, her hair moved with her and Flynn's chair was tugged forward, landing him face-first onto the tower floor.

"Rapunzel gestured at the painting she had just uncovered, oblivious to the pain our thief was now experiencing. 'I want you to take me to see the floating lights,' Rapunzel commanded imperiously. Flynn, his impressive nose smushed agonizingly against the floor, replied back, 'You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?'" Eugene shoved his face into his hand, letting out a nasally voice as he said the thief's response.

Ginger squealed with laughter, and Thomas, although he was concerned for his hero, laughed with her. Annabelle grinned as well, but immediately pretended to be looking at her nails when Eugene glanced at her.

"Well, then Rapunzel realized that the floating lights of her dream were, in fact, floating lanterns. She turned back to the thief and said, 'Tomorrow they will light the sky with these lanterns and I want you to take me to see them and then return me safely home. Then, I'll give you back your satchel.' Flynn, using his strong muscles, heaved himself upward onto his side. He shook his head, 'No can do. The kingdom and I aren't exactly "simpatico" at the moment. Looks like you'll have to find some other unlucky fool, Goldie.'

"Rapunzel exchanged a glance with Pascal. Flynn could see the little infuriating reptile punch his fist in his hand venomously. Then, before he knew it, Rapunzel had jumped down from the mantle and was hauling him upright. Rapunzel said, 'Something brought you here, _Flynn Rider_. Call it fate, destiny-.' 'A horse.' Flynn interrupted, rolling his eyes. Suddenly he was jerked forward as Rapunzel pulled his chair towards her. 'I have made the decision to trust you.' She said. The thief shook his head, 'A horrible decision, really.'

"Rapunzel glared at him, muttering, 'Let me promise you something, Flynn Rider. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick, but without _my_ help, you're never going to see your precious satchel.' Flynn looked at her dubiously. The girl added, 'And when I promise something, I never break my promise. _Ever_.' Flynn gazed at the girl, both considering the seriousness of her expression and breathing in the fragrance of her lavender perfume."

Ginger asked, "That's the kind Mommy uses, right?"

"Yeah." Eugene smiled softly, "It was a lot like that."

"Okay, then what happened?" Thomas inquired impatiently.

"Well, Flynn Rider still had one last weapon in his back pocket. It was his most dangerous weapon—one that had gotten him out of more scrapes and problems than anything else he owned. He liked to call it, 'The Smolder.'"

"What's that?"

Eugene shrugged, "It was his finest technique. The ideal topping upon an ice cream of flattery and sweet-nothings. Basically, it's that face I sometimes make at your mom when I'm trying to get her to do something I want." To demonstrate, he puckered his lips and raised an eyebrow.

All that earned him was more giggles from his daughter and a groan from his son.

"What's the matter, Thomas?" Eugene asked.

Thomas shook his head, "That _never_ works on Mom. That probably means it didn't work on Rapunzel either."

His father smiled, "Well, you are completely right. It didn't work on Rapunzel, and Flynn was forced to agree to take her to see the lanterns. After all, he wanted his satchel back, and what could a day's journey to the kingdom do to him?"

"A lot, apparently." Annabelle said, bringing a small stool over to sit before her father.

Eugene nodded at her, "So, are you willing to listen?"

"For now."

He took a deep breath, "Okay then. Now let me tell you what happened when Rapunzel left her tower for the first time."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note**: It's getting a bit harder to write this while having to deal with the knowledge of school starting back in a week... :) but hopefully I can still manage to spit some more out before rejoining the academic world. Once again, thanks for all the reviews, it means a lot :D I hope you guys enjoy this part!

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story.

* * *

"So after being released from Rapunzel's hair, our beloved thief walked over to the window and prepared to descend. As he was lowering himself carefully outside, Flynn could see Rapunzel steeling herself for leaving the tower. She was talking to her pet frog again, and Flynn saw that she was shaking slightly. But there was nothing he could do. After all," Eugene said, sighing, "he didn't even like the girl all that much.

"With careful hands, Flynn began to climb his way down the tower, once again sinking arrows between the stones. Above him, Rapunzel approached the rim of the window ledge. She stared down, past the sarcastic thief and at the green grass far, far below. You have to understand, Rapunzel was still unsure about the world she was about to enter. She hadn't left her tower for basically her entire life. Thoughts flashed through her brain—maybe Gothel was right, maybe she was too weak to handle herself, maybe the people out there were cruel and vicious and always after her hair. But, suddenly one blazing idea flared into being, outshining all her worries. She was about to experience true freedom for the first time. She was going to leave her tower—and the world was just below her, waiting.

"Then she heard Flynn shouting up to her, 'You coming, Blondie?' Rapunzel smiled and, securing her frying pan and Pascal, she once more looped her hair up onto the hook. Then she kicked it out the tower and leapt down, nearly knocking Flynn off from his perch. The wind blew past her ears and rushed through her hair. Somewhere—in the very back of her mind—she could hear the exultant sound of trumpets calling. But abruptly, she stopped short in her drop and gazed down at the earth beneath."

"Why did she stop?" Ginger asked.

Eugene shrugged, "As far as I can tell, I think she was amazed at how green the grass was and how amazing each, tiny little blade looked."

Thomas frowned, "But it's just grass, right?"

"Well, yes. But imagine, for a second, that you had never seen grass up close. That you had only read about it or saw it from so far away that it only looked like a green blur. Imagine that you had never even smelled it before. If you can imagine that, then you know what Rapunzel felt like at that moment."

"Did she ever step on it?"

He smiled, "Yes, she did, and this is how it happened: Rapunzel gently lowered her bare feet onto the ground, instantly feeling the satisfying combination of softness and prickliness. Slowly, she sprawled out upon the grass, running her fingers through the fresh, summer blades. She could sense the heat of the sun-warmed earth and smell the sharp, healthy greenness of it all. It was wonderful, lying on something that wasn't a bed—that wasn't the cold, stone floor of her tower. Something that was, in fact, living. And then, with quiet recognition, Rapunzel knew that something had started to live within her as well."

Annabelle smiled at him, "What was it, Dad?"

Eugene closed his eyes and said, simply, "_She_ started to live."

All three of his children watched him, uncertain of whether or not to break the spell of silence. Then he opened his eyes to look at them.

"For the first time ever, she was completely free. Free of Gothel's control—free of her tower and free of the fear that had gripped her for so long. Now Rapunzel could do anything she wanted. She could run, she could race, she could dance, she could chase, she could leap, she could bound." He held out his hands, "Her soul soared with the possibilities stretching endlessly before her. Everything seemed possible. Everything was amazing."

Thomas narrowed his eyes, "You mean the bad old lady didn't let her see all that?"

"Nope."

His son growled and stretched his slingshot—which he had once again stolen—to its limit. Muttering, Thomas vowed, "If Flynn Rider doesn't whop her, I will."

Eugene knitted his brow, murmuring, "How did you get that slingshot?"

"Daddy, what happened next?"

Shaking his head, Eugene stood up from his chair and began to walk around the room. "Anyway, Rapunzel, after her initial excitement wore off, started experiencing something parents like to call guilt. It's an unfortunate side-affect that comes from either not doing something you're supposed to do or doing something you're not supposed to do. She knew she had done what Mother Gothel had told her not to do. She-," he winced painfully, "-she loved her fake mother and could not deal with both the joy of being outside as well as the guilt that came from disobeying Gothel. She felt bad—then good—then bad—and then good again. One second, she was leaning her head against a tree and muttering that 'I _have_ to go back' and then, the next second she was rolling down a hill and screaming 'I am _never_ going back!'.

"When he first started seeing this, Flynn couldn't quite understand it. Here was this strange girl—with hair that had to be seventy feet long—arguing with_ herself_. She also seemed to be convinced that she had never seen a tree before, that the sound of a brook running was beautiful, and that the green frog on her shoulder understood everything she said. But, gradually, as Rapunzel continued to have, and then not have, her meltdown, Flynn started to gather information.

"Finally he wandered over to where Rapunzel was leaning against a boulder, crying. Flynn was uncertain of how to comfort her, but something about seeing the girl so distraught touched his heart. And, well, he also had an idea of how to get rid of her."

"Flynn's mean." Ginger declared, crossing her arms in such a way that her father was immediately reminded of his wife.

Thomas came to the defense of his hero, "No he's not! He's just—just doesn't know her yet!"

"Does he get better, Daddy?"

Eugene nodded, "Yeah, he does. But right now, Flynn is still looking out for number one—himself. So, he told Rapunzel that he knew where she was coming from. He said he understood about the forbidden road-trip and overprotective mother. But he also told her that a little rebellion was good—healthy, even. And then he said that it would most likely crush Gothel's heart like a grape, which of course made Rapunzel very upset.

"Sighing, Flynn said that he would let Rapunzel off the deal. He handed the girl her frying pan and Pascal, saying, 'Here's your pan; here's your frog. Now let's get you back to your tower and a mother and daughter relationship based on mutual trust and understanding, and we'll part as unlikely friends.' Rapunzel pushed him away. 'No!' she said determinedly, 'I want to see the lanterns!' Flynn scowled at her, 'Oh come on! What's it going to take to get my satchel back?' Rapunzel glared at him and waved her frying pan warningly, 'I _will_ use this.'

"Then, suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. Immediately, Rapunzel jumped onto Flynn's back, brandishing her frying pan at the bushes. 'Is it Ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for my hair?' Rapunzel asked, remembering Gothel's warning. The thief tried to concentrate with the girl hanging onto him for dear life—she had him in a choke-hold while simultaneously trying to clamber onto his shoulders. There she was, talking about her hair again. What was with this girl?"

"She's got magic hair." Ginger replied as if the idea were perfectly reasonable.

"Yes, Ginger-snap, she _does_ have magic hair. But Flynn Rider didn't know that."

"So what came out of the bushes—was it the creepy lady?"

Eugene shook his head, "No. It was a bunny rabbit."

Thomas stared at him for several seconds, his face one of extreme disappointment. Then he protested explosively: "A _BUNNY_ _RABBIT_?"

Unfortunately, he had been wielding his slingshot in his father's direction at the moment of his outburst. Time seemed to slow down as Eugene stared at the slingshot's missile—a hard, glass marble—approaching his face. Then there was a 'thud', and a short span of blackness later he woke up with his youngest daughter sitting on his chest while his eldest sat at his head.

"Dad?" Annabelle asked apprehensively.

"Ugh." He responded, closing his eyes as the throbbing in his forehead went down.

"Are you all right?"

Eugene sat up as Ginger got off his chest, nodding and muttering, "Yeah. I'm fine."

He looked over at his son, who was currently holding his slingshot behind his back and wearing the expression of extreme innocence on his face. Eugene grunted and held out his hand.

"Thomas."

The crown prince of Corona sighed and gave him the slingshot, "Sorry, Dad."

"It's okay. I'm," he got to his feet, "just going to have to hide this better."

"So what happened next?" Ginger asked, watching her father moving about the room.

"In the story? Where was I?"

"The bunny." Thomas said, a trace of disenchantment still in his voice.

Eugene nodded and searched for a hiding-place for his son's slingshot. Finding it, he turned around to face his children, smiling, "Ah, yes, the bunny. Well, after realizing that the threat she had been so scared of was nothing more than Thumper the Rabbit, Rapunzel got off Flynn's back. 'Sorry,' she said, shrugging in embarrassment, 'I guess I'm just a little jumpy.' "Flynn, despite having been used as a ladder, had already formulated yet another plan to get rid of Rapunzel. He smiled knowingly, murmuring, 'We wouldn't want to run in to any ruffians or thugs, eh?' She nodded. Flynn snapped his fingers and asked, 'Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch!' And so, without further ado, our thief grabbed Rapunzel's frying pan and began to drag her along the forest path."

"Now," Eugene said, walking slowly across the floor, "I'm going to have to backtrack a bit. See, this story is not just about Rapunzel—though she's the main character—and Flynn—though he's the most interesting. This story also concerns Gothel, and currently she is walking through the forest, on her way to the seashore to find the paint Rapunzel had requested for her birthday. There she is, strolling along and seriously thinking she should have read 'Dr. Lipschitz's Parenting Manual', when suddenly she comes across Maximus.

"Understand that Maximus had been scouring the forest for that ever-elusive but _oh_ _so_ good-looking rouge, Flynn Rider. He had not been reunited with the Captain of the Palace Guard, and was still searching for the thief who had, so far, made his morning a very bad one. But now Gothel runs into him, still riderless and bedecked in the kingdom's colors. Gothel stared at him, and Maximus, after giving her a cursory snort to ensure she wasn't Flynn Rider, continued his search.

"Something about the palace horse irked Gothel badly—it was strange that he had no rider. Then she felt a tremor in her heart. Rapunzel was left alone in the tower, and this horse was missing its soldier. Someone must have found out her secret at last!"

"Bet she can't guess who." Thomas said, ignoring an impatient 'shhh!' from his sisters.

Eugene mimed the lady running through the forest, "She raced past trees and streams, heading directly back to the place where the tower was hidden. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her cloak flying out behind her. She had to find out if Rapunzel was still safe—if her magic, youth-restoring flower was still trapped in the vine of deceit she had nurtured for nearly eighteen years. Gothel reached the tower and called up for Rapunzel to throw down her hair—but there was no window opening, and no answering shout.

"Then Gothel threw herself at the secret door hidden behind an ivy bush at the base of the tower. Ripping away leaves and thorns and stones, as well as skinning her knuckles severely against the harsh rocks, Gothel uncovered her doorway. She ran up the stairs and knocked open the loose flagstone that concealed the stairwell. Gothel emerged out to see an empty tower room swimming in grey darkness. She kept screaming for her flower's name, 'Rapunzel! Rapunzel!' but no matter where she searched, she could not find the girl. Finally she tore aside a curtain and gazed in horror at the empty window seat."

Eugene slumped onto his knees and seized his hair, "She was gone, and Gothel had no clue where-," he squinted his eye and turned to look to his left. "Something was glinting in the light of the window! Just there—below one of the steps leading to Rapunzel's bedroom! Gothel reached out and discovered Flynn's satchel. She opened it and pulled out the crown of the lost princess. Instantly she dropped it, feeling almost scalded by this reminder of her past crime. What could this mean? But wait… there was something else in the bag."

"What was it, Daddy?" Ginger asked, hugging her knees as Pascal crawled up onto her head and gazed up at Eugene through his wide, chameleon eyes.

"It was a wanted poster. And, upon its crinkled surface with his nose spectacularly ruined, was the drawn picture of our infamous thief, Flynn Rider."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Note**: This was probably one of the most fun parts to write out of any other scene in the movie so far. The 'I've Got A Dream' song is absolutely one of my favorites from the movie as well as one of my favorite group songs of any Disney feature. It's just so catchy—I love it! haha! :D

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters.

* * *

"What did the old hag do?" Thomas asked.

Eugene frowned, "Thomas, what would your mother say if she heard such language?"

"But you called the housekeeper Madam Lilith that after she fussed at you for your muddy boots, and Mom was _right_ there."

He opened his mouth to respond, thought better of it, and instead said, "I know, and your mother gave me a stern reprimand for saying that. Anyway, back to the story. Gothel had found the reason for Rapunzel's disappearance, and was determined to find her flower at all costs. She took the satchel with her, hoping to use it as leverage to get Rapunzel back, and set off into the surrounding trees.

"Meanwhile, out on the forest path, Flynn led Rapunzel to a clearing. Before them lay an enormous tree, its great roots the size of hillocks and its large expanse of leaves provided a canopy of several yards. Leaning against the tree was a wide building. Its foundations seemed to have been altered by the tree's growth, and it remained in a permanently bowed shape as though someone had pushed in from either side. It was an old building, sheltered in the crook of one of the tree's great branches as if the gigantic plant were embracing it. A small sign swung from a pole some distance from the establishment, announcing it to be none other than the 'Snuggly Duckling'."

"First bunnies and now ducklings? Dad, what kind of story is this?" Thomas demanded, pouting unhappily.

"It's a very interesting one, now shush. So sauntering up to the sign, Flynn said, 'Ah, the Snuggly Duckling. Don't worry, very quaint place—_perfect_ for you. Don't want you "scaring" and giving up on this whole endeavor, now do we?' Rapunzel, hugging her frying pan tight against herself, admitted nervously, 'Well, I do like ducklings.' The thief smiled and emitted a rather embarrassingly girlish and yet also completely sarcastic 'Yay!'"

Eugene's daughters laughed while Thomas let out a low sigh.

His father continued speaking, trotting forward, "Flynn put his arm around Rapunzel and marched boldly up to the building's door. A few horses grunted at them as Flynn glanced down at the girl beside him. 'You know, Blondie, if you want to turn back now, you can.' Rapunzel shook her head, 'No thank you, Mr. Rider. I'm sure I can handle it.' He shrugged, 'Suit yourself' and with one strong hit, Flynn slammed the door wide open and hollered, 'Garcon! Your finest table please!'

"Rapunzel peered inside, probably expecting to see the bright, lacy décor of a pretty tearoom. What she did see, however, was anything but that. The Snuggly Duckling was dark, gloomy, and full of people that more resembled Vikings rather than parlor maids. Rapunzel immediately held out her frying pan, trembling as Flynn set his hands on her shoulders and began to shove her into the midst of the sinister eyes."

Eugene raised his shoulders, "There were men as huge as boulders—with pretty much the same coloring and friendliness of said rocks. There were thugs garbed in hairy tunics and clutching at their tankards of muddy-ale. Ruffians—those dreaded creatures—lounged in the shadows, turning their big, ugly unshaven faces towards the newcomers. One man had rats crawling all over his shoulders and head; another man polished the brass hook he had in place of a hand; yet another was stirring something in a pot over an open flame, something that looked creepily like," Eugene glanced around before hissing, "-_snakes_."

"Snakes!" Ginger exclaimed, aghast.

"Snakes!" Thomas repeated enthusiastically, punching his fist in the air.

"But that's not all. See, each of these men had several weapons on his person. Some bore long swords—others, cruel, jagged daggers. A few hefted heavy clubs in their hands while their fellows tugged at the axes strapped across their broad backs. Flynn, unconcerned by these shows of hostility, continued to push Rapunzel forward. 'You smell that?' he asked, grinning madly. 'Take a deep breath through the nose, really let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, that's part man smell and the other part is _really_ bad man smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?'

"Suddenly, Rapunzel jerked away from him as one of the thugs, a rather fat man with a helmet, grabbed her trailing hair. The girl began to pull it along with her as she skipped backwards, leaving the man to watch as it passed on and on between his large hands. 'That's a looot of hair.' He declared, looking up at Flynn. Ever the clever snarker, Flynn responded, 'She's growing it out. Why, is that blood in your mustache? Goldie, look at this! Look at all the blood in his mustache! Good sir, that is a lot of blood!'

"Rapunzel, still running backwards, bumped into the hard back of a ruffian seated at the bar. With a rumbling growl he turned to glare at her and Rapunzel stepped away, still waving around her frying pan. Flynn Rider walked up to her, muttering, 'Hey, you don't look so good, Blondie. Maybe we should go home, call it a day. You'd probably be better off-,' he put an arm around her shoulders and steered her back towards the door, murmuring, '-this _is_ a five-star joint after all and if you can't handle this place, well, maybe you should be back in your tower.'"

Eugene abruptly pounded his fist on the side of the bookshelf, shaking some of its contents out onto the floor and causing his children to jump at the noise. "Then, right before them, the door banged shut. Rapunzel jumped behind Flynn, looking over his shoulder as the largest man in the place leered at them. 'Is this you?' He asked, indicating the wanted poster under his long fingers.

"Flynn frowned, 'Hmmm, a little less on the nose and maybe-.' Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind as one of the thugs cried, 'He's mine! I could use the reward money!' Almost just as quickly, another man snatched Flynn away and said, 'No! He's mine!' Then another seized Flynn by one arm while his companion took his other arm. Soon Flynn was in a maze of sweaty hands, arms, legs and a great deal of bad breath as each brute tried to grab him for the reward the king had _so_ thoughtfully placed on his head."

Thomas beamed, jumping up and down, "Flynn beats them up, doesn't he?"

"Well, actually, Rapunzel started swinging her frying pan left and right, bashing it against the heads and shoulders of the thugs. 'Let go of my guide!' She shouted, trying to regain her traveling companion. One of the thugs, Hook-hand was his name-."

"What did he look like?" Ginger asked, interrupting her father.

Eugene frowned uncertainly, "Um, he had a hook for a hand and—he looked a _lot_ like Uncle Albert."

"He has a hook too! _Weird_!"

He grinned slightly, "Yeah—weird. Okay, so Hook-hand reared back his fist, preparing to forever hurt Flynn's chances at winning 'Kingdom's Best Nose Award'. Rapunzel, giving up on her frying pan, instead looped her hair around one of the branches that had broken through the building's roof, and heaved. There was an ear-shattering 'BAM!' as the heavy beam struck against Hook-hand's neck. Slowly, he and his companions turned around to see the strange girl with the ludicrously long hair.

"Practically desperate now, Rapunzel said, 'Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been _dreaming_ about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?' Hook-hand withdrew a brutal-looking axe from his sheath as the biggest thug named Vladimir-."

"Like Uncle Vlad?"

Eugene rubbed his eyes, responding impatiently, "Yeah—yeah, like Uncle Vlad—anyway-."

"_Weird_!"

"So, Vladimir-."

"Uncle Albert and Uncle Vlad in the same story!" Thomas grinned at his sisters.

Eugene frowned, "Now Thomas-."

"I know!"

"Ginger-."

Thomas raised his hands, "Wait till we tell them! Annie, do you think-?"

"KIDS!"

They turned to look at their father, confused by the frustration in his voice. Eugene took a deep breath, "All right, do you want me to finish the story or not?"

"Finish." The royal children mumbled.

"Okay then." Eugene smiled, "So Hook-hand withdrew his axe and Vladimir hung Flynn up on a coat hook to keep him out of the way. With apprehension, our thief watched as Hook-hand approached Rapunzel, backing her up to the counter. She flattened herself against the bar, breathing fast and gazing up through her wide, green eyes at the frightening man leaning over her. Hook-hand raised his axe and then, his sneer turning into an expression of truest regret, pronounced in his deep voice: 'I had a dream, once.'"

"Wait—what?"

"Thomas, he said no more interruptions!" Annabelle scolded her brother, who immediately stuck his tongue out at her.

"What was his dream, Daddy?" Ginger asked.

Eugene smiled and took a seat next to her, answering, "He wanted to be a concert pianist—just like Uncle Albert is. He wanted to play Mozart and 'tickle the ivories till they gleamed.' He wanted to 'be called deadly, for his killer show-tune medley' because, 'way deep down inside, he had a dream!' Then another ruffian, who had this really big nose-.

"Like Uncle-?"

"Yes, like Uncle Ralph! Okay, so this guy started singing about _his_ dream. He wanted to find true love, of all things! Ugly as he was—he even had extra toes—he yearned to find a 'special little lady' to row down the stream with. And, before you knew it, the _whole_ _tavern_ was singing about their respective dreams. Thor wanted to be a florist—Gunther did interior design. One guy liked mime and the other baked cupcakes that were absolutely amazing—though not as good as your mother's. They even had a bloke who wanted to do little puppet shows! It was, to be perfectly honest, _nuts_!

"And all the while, Flynn hung on the wall, rolling his eyes. His plan had completely backfired. Somehow, Rapunzel had managed to get a bar full of violent thugs to sing about dreams. They weren't scaring her away—no, she actually seemed to be having the time of her life! She was smiling and dancing and laughing and-," he swallowed slightly, "-and Flynn couldn't quite understand it. Then, the thugs were asking him what his dream was."

Ginger stared at him, "Did he tell them?"

"At first, no. He refused on the basis that he did not, under any circumstance, sing. But a few pointy weapons thrust in his direction quickly changed his mind, and Flynn hopped onto the counter and began to jig."

"Jig?"

"Yes, Thomas, your hero knows how to jig. The thief hastily launched into a few bars about owning an island all to himself, 'surrounded by enormous piles of money.' He was then seized and thrown about like a ragdoll, with the ruffians tossing him about from hand to hand. Amid all the yelling and floundering, Flynn saw that Rapunzel was singing now. She was eagerly explaining about her dream to 'see the floating lanterns gleam' to raucous cheers from the thugs. He frowned. Why would a girl—who had never seen the outside of her tower before today—only have some dinky lights as her dream? There was a whole world out there and all she wanted was to see a couple of pretty lanterns. It did not make any sense… but then again, Flynn reasoned as he attempted to balance on a rolling barrel, this whole day had been a mixture of tons of things not making sense."

Eugene stood up, "In the meantime, as this glorious pub song about dreams was taking place, Gothel approached the Snuggly Duckling."

Ginger cried, "No!"

"Beat her, Flynn!" Thomas roared enthusiastically. "Beat her with that guy's cupcakes!"

Annabelle rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Thomas, what good are cupcakes going to do against-?"

"Children," Eugene said, "shush. Now, Gothel heard Rapunzel announce her joy about leaving her tower, and the wicked witch knew that already the thief had corrupted her flower." Eugene stopped, smirking, "Oh, would you look at that, I made a rhyme."

"Dad." Annabelle said, frowning.

He cleared his throat, "Right—sorry. Um, so Gothel saw this and then she heard the sound of several people drawing near to the tavern. She hid in the bushes, watching from the leaves as a group of palace soldiers marched towards the building. The troops were following the thug that had been sent to fetch soldiers to arrest Flynn Rider. Along with the soldiers came old Bush-face and his brother Eye-patch man—Flynn's erstwhile accomplices. They had been captured due to our thief's betrayal in the forest, and were none too happy for it.

"Back in the Snuggly Duckling, the thug that had been sent for the reward burst in, shouting 'I found the soldiers!' Directly, his fellows tackled him to the ground and Flynn grabbed Rapunzel by the hand, hiding with her under a table. The palace guard strode into the building, glaring around in the darkness and searching for the thief. The Captain of the Palace Guard barked out orders, 'I know he's here! Find him! Turn this place upside down if you have to!' He pounded on the table to emphasize his point, not knowing that Flynn and Rapunzel were cowering just underneath it.

"Then Hook-hand gestured at the thief and Rapunzel, and secretly led them to a trapdoor behind the counter. As the captain continued to shout orders and his men proceeded to ransack the place, Hook-hand revealed the passage hidden within the Snuggly Duckling. Looking down the tunnel, he said kindly, 'Go—live your dream.' Flynn grinned vaguely, 'I will.' Hook-hand glared at him, remarking, 'Your dream stinks. I was talking to her.' Shrugging, Flynn entered the dark tunnel as Rapunzel thanked Hook-hand 'for everything.' The thief found a lantern hanging on the earthy wall and lit it just as the trapdoor swung shut behind them.

"Turning to Rapunzel, Flynn let out a sigh of relief, 'That was close. Well, I can understand if you don't want to travel with me, Goldie. I mean, after all, I am a wanted man.' Rapunzel smiled, 'I don't mind.' He shook his head, 'I'm never going to get rid of you, will I?' Her smile widened, 'Nope.' With a grudging sigh, Flynn had to admit that the girl was impressive—if bolder than he had expected. Perhaps this trip would not be so painful after all."

Ginger grinned, "He likes her!"

Eugene smiled, "Starting to—he's _starting_ to like her. Anyway, as Flynn and Rapunzel began to walk through the dark tunnel, above in the tavern, interesting things were taking place…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note**: I've seen Tangled 3 times in theaters—though I've been looking up clips on Youtube to get the sequences and dialogue right. Plus, it's just kind-of fun but anyway, I was rather impressed with how they portrayed the action scenes in the quarry! it's very cool and very much makes me want a frying pan and my own Flynn Rider… but then again who doesn't want that? :D haha! Thanks again for the reviews, you guys are great! hope you enjoy it!

_Solo Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters... unfortunately that includes Flynn Rider and that awesome frying pan of doom! :)

* * *

"The Captain of the Palace Guard glared at the blank faces of the local riff-raff that hung around the Snuggly Duckling. He had dealt with such louts before. There would be no getting any information out of them. Groaning, the man turned to his lieutenant, 'Any luck?' The lieutenant shook his head, responding, 'No sir. We've searched everywhere. I think we have just been led on a wild goose chase.' An outraged voice called out from the corner: 'I'm telling you, he was right—oof!' Hook-hand looked up innocently from where he had just knocked out the thug that had fetched the guards. He shrugged at the questioning looks from the soldiers, muttering sadly, 'Poor guy—we've been trying to find his medicine for weeks.'

"Turning back to his superior, the lieutenant asked, 'Um, sir, can we bring the Stabbington brothers inside? Charlie says he thinks they might make a break for it if we don't.' The captain nodded, 'Sure, sure. Go ahead… I can't believe we were _this_ close!' As the lieutenant started to head outside, a white horse suddenly galloped into the tavern. The captain straightened, his eyes alight. 'Maximus!' He whispered, watching as the horse immediately set about sniffing the dusty floorboards. His lieutenant frowned, 'What's he doing?' 'Shhh!' The captain clapped a hand over the man's mouth, gazing intently at Maximus's movement."

Eugene got onto his hands and knees, crawling around while making rather obnoxious snuffling noises. Sitting up, he said, "Maximus, after several seconds' worth of sniffing, caught the trail of that vagrant thief and his lavender-scented companion. With a swift jab of his hoof, Maximus indicated the place behind the bar. The Captain of the Palace Guard shook his head, not understanding. With an irritated snort, Maximus flipped a secret, duckling-shaped switch, and the trapdoor slowly creaked open. The soldier smiled, 'Ah-ha!' he said, turning to face the ruffians, 'you didn't tell us about your secret passage!'

"Hook-hand rolled his eyes, 'Well, _naturally_.' The captain opened his mouth, shut it, and instead turned to his lieutenant. 'Lieutenant,' he said imperiously, 'you may have Charlie bring in the Stabbington Brothers. Then we must hurry to catch that foul vermin, Flynn Rider!' The lieutenant threw a salute, barked out an order to the rookie guard, Charlie. Then he joined the other troops and Maximus, their yelling forms disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. Charlie frowned firmly up at Bush-face and Eye-patch guy, daring them to escape. Eye-patch guy promptly head-butted the soldier, making him drop to the ground and let go of his spear. His brother used its point to cut through the shackles binding their hands. Then Bush-face muttered, 'First, we'll get the crown, and then we'll settle our score with that traitorous Rider.'"

"Oh no!" Ginger exclaimed fearfully.

Eugene sat down next to her, replying: "Oh yes! But that's not the worst of it, Ginger-snap. See, just outside the Snuggly Duckling, Gothel heard all about the trapdoor and where the thief had gone. As she was listening, a fairly tipsy ruffian tripped out of the door. He stared blearily up at Gothel, hiccupping out something about dreams. Gothel was not amused. She withdrew a slender, sharp dagger from below her cloak and pointed it directly at the man's red nose. 'Tell me,' she said slowly, 'where does that passage lead out?'"

"Did he tell her?"

"Well—yes, in a way. So Gothel headed off to the place where the passage's exit lay. The palace guard and one very angry horse sprinted down the tunnel. And the Stabbington brothers took a short-cut through the forest. Unaware of all the danger they would soon be in, Flynn and Rapunzel continued walking through the dark passage. Flynn glanced at the large ale kegs they were passing, his lantern light flickering upon the worn wood. After a few seconds he said, 'You know, Blondie, you were pretty good back there.'

"Rapunzel smiled and exclaimed excitedly, 'I know, right?' Then realizing she probably shouldn't sound so surprised, she repeated, 'Yeah, I know.' Flynn smiled slightly at the girl's hasty cover-up. Despite his original feelings to the contrary, the thief found himself liking the girl more and more. In fact, he had started to think she was rather adorable."

"Adorable?" Thomas narrowed his eyes at this insult to his hero.

His father nodded, "Yes, Thomas, _adorable_. Men can use that word. I use it for your mother and sisters all the time."

Ginger snuggled closer to her father, "Really Daddy?"

Eugene smiled, "Yes, Ginger-snap. I think you and Annie and your mother and even Thomas are completely and utterly _adorable_."

His son moaned, "Tell me when it starts getting exciting again."

"Well," Eugene said, "as his curiosity about Rapunzel began to build, Flynn decided to ask a few questions. He said, glancing over his shoulder at the girl following him, 'Okay, I'm know I'm not supposed to mention the hair-.' 'Nope.' Rapunzel said. Flynn continued, 'Or the mother-.' 'Uh-uh.' She replied. 'Frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog-.' Rapunzel touched Pascal's foot on her shoulder, correcting, 'Chameleon.' 'Nuance.' The thief replied, smirking. Then, gazing at the stretch of dark tunnel ahead of them, Flynn asked, 'So, if you've always wanted to see the lanterns, why haven't you left your tower before?' Rapunzel sighed, 'Um…' See, she still wasn't sure she could trust Flynn with her secret. But before she could say much else, the sound of running and shouting began to fill the tunnel behind them. Rapunzel looked at the thief, 'Flynn?' They both glanced behind them, and what they saw filled them with fear and dread."

Eugene rose to his feet and stepped away from his children. Then he quickly stamped his feet on the floor and raised his fist as if holding something, "The palace guard was charging towards them, their yells echoing against the rocky walls and their flaming torches lighting the passage with a ruddy glow. Her eyes widening, Rapunzel cried, 'Flynn!' The thief took one look at the oncoming soldiers and set his hands on Rapunzel's shoulders, shoving her forward. 'Run!' he shouted urgently, 'RUN!'

"They both pelted down the hard floor of the tunnel, focusing their attention on the light ahead. Suddenly, they had left the tunnel and were now running out into the blinding afternoon sunlight. They stopped at the edge of a cliff some distance from the cave entrance. Flynn grabbed Rapunzel to keep her from falling off the side. She had cleverly gathered up her hair in her arms during their run out of the cave, and it now hung about her in long, golden coils.

"A brief glance around told them that they had come out onto the edge of a quarry. Below their overhang lay a large gully cut into the rock, with mine shafts opening out from the opposite cliff face. There was also a dam to their right—a big, wide wall holding back gallons and gallons of water. One part of the dam wall had a long, rickety water trough that led down into the quarry so that the miners could sift for gold, jewels, or whatever else they wanted. Water ran through the trough, but it was quite obvious that the quarry had been abandoned for some time. Then, suddenly, there was a loud crunching sound and two figures burst out of one of the barred mine shafts. Flynn looked down in horror at the red-haired brothers—Bush-face and Eye-patch man had apparently escaped justice, and were now looking for revenge."

"Beat 'em Flynn!" Thomas shouted, grinning happily.

"Thomas, shhh! Don't be so annoying!" Annabelle said edgily.

Her brother frowned, "What does 'annoying' mean?"

"It means shhh!" Ginger replied, turning to watch as their father retook up his story.

"Rapunzel stared at the two, gorilla-looking men. 'Who's that?' She asked nervously. Flynn winced, 'They don't like me.' Behind them, the palace guards emerged from the tunnel, flinging down their torches. 'Who's that?' Rapunzel asked. The thief winced again, replying, 'They don't like me either.' Then Maximus the horse stormed into view behind the soldiers, neighing angrily. Astonished, Rapunzel asked, 'Who's _that_?' Flynn, tired of all the questions and racking his brain to find an escape route, said hurriedly: 'Let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like me.' For a second, Rapunzel gazed down at the gully below. Then she whacked Flynn in the stomach with her frying pan, 'Here.'"

Eugene reached down and retrieved the frying pan from the floor, holding it pan-end up.

"Flynn clutched at the cooking utensil, watching as Rapunzel slung back her hair and whipped it around a broken beam of the dam. Before he could move a muscle, the girl had leapt off the cliff and was now practically flying towards the other side, using her hair as a giant rope. As she landed neatly on the opposite ledge, Flynn gazed on in amazement. She could be _very_ resourceful with that hair of hers. There she went again—changing his opinion of her in a blink of an eye. It was really something."

"Dad—what about the guards?" Thomas asked, rocking back and forth.

Eugene smiled, "Well, at that moment, a rather grim but oddly pompous voice rang in Flynn's ears. He turned around to see the Captain of the Palace Guard walking forward, three men accompanying him. 'I've waited a long time for this.' That mustachioed defender of the crown muttered, unsheathing his military-issued cutlass. Flynn glanced fearfully at the weapon he had in his own hand—Rapunzel's non-sharp, non-lethal frying pan. He gulped and looked up just in time to see the captain lunging at him with his sword."

Eugene dropped down, "Flynn ducked the blade, hearing it sing maliciously close to his wavy hair. He closed his eyes and rose up, swinging the frying pan with all his might. To his utter relief and incredulity, Flynn heard a 'clang' and felt the solid body of the captain collapsing beneath the strike. Then another soldier darted in, throwing a stab at Flynn's unprotected stomach. With a quick," Eugene flicked his wrist, wielding the frying pan expertly in his hand, "the thief parried the blow and instead struck down upon the man's helmeted head. Another 'clang' echoed about the quarry. Another soldier ran towards Flynn, but he blocked the swipe at his head and quickly knocked his opponent to the ground. Finally, the last man made to bring his sword against Flynn's neck, but with another duck and a metallic 'wham!' Flynn sent him rolling in the dust to rest upon his fallen comrades."

Thomas cheered victoriously, "_YES_! GO FLYNN!"

Eugene grinned, "See, I told you to wait for the action."

"Yeah! Whoo-hoo!" Thomas gave his father a high-five, jumping up in down in extreme happiness.

Eugene smirked, "That's not all, though, Thomas. There's still another enemy left."

His son stopped jumping, "What?"

He gripped the frying pan with both hands, gazing at it intently, "Flynn held the frying pan at arm's length, gaping at it. How could a mere cooking tool cause so much damage? He grinned broadly, proclaiming, 'Wooh—Mama! I have _got_ to get me one of these!' The noise of a sword swipe through the air alerted Flynn to another soldier. He laughed confidently and tossed the frying pan to his left hand, facing this new challenger. Then the confidence drained from his face when he realized that he was facing the point of a sword clamped in Maximus's teeth. This was the horse that had tried to kill him just this morning—but that meant…" Eugene suddenly parried an invisible blow, slipping on the floor as he tried to back-peddle. "Maximus swung his weapon, and Flynn barely defended it as he tripped over the unconscious soldiers. He danced around the overhang, dodging and knocking aside the furious blows of the horse. For all their training and years of service—the palace guard was _nothing_ compared to this horse when it came to swordplay."

Eugene stepped quickly around the floor, swinging and thrusting with the frying pan as he fought the horse of his story. "Back and forth they battled, exchanging hits but never quite striking each other. Flynn struck back two swings and then leapt away as Maximus jabbed forward. In between swings, Flynn called out over the wide gap to Rapunzel: 'You-should-know-that-this-is-the-strangest-thing-I've-ever-done!' He ducked another swing and made to hit the horse between the eyes, but Maximus whipped up his sword and disarmed the thief. They both watched as the frying pan went spiraling into the gully below. Flynn glanced at the horse, suggesting, 'How 'bout two out of three?' Maximus immediately brought his sword to the thief's throat. Yet, in a split-second, Rapunzel cried 'Flynn!' and swung up her hair, wrapping it around the thief's outstretched arm. With a lazy salute, Flynn allowed himself to drop into the canyon. Maximus dropped his sword in amazement."

"Yay Rapunzel!" Ginger exclaimed, smiling at her brother.

Thomas shook his head, "Flynn would've found a way out of there—he didn't need some sissy-."

"Tom, be quiet!" Annabelle insisted, watching her father attentively.

Eugene continued speaking, engrossed in his own story—his own memories. "Flynn swung forward, hardly hearing Rapunzel's 'Flynn—look out!' He quickly evaded the swords of Bush-face and Eye-patch man, who gazed up at their flying victim in complete astonishment. Wind whistling through his hair and triumph in his heart, Flynn called down to the Stabbington brothers: 'Ha! You should see the looks on your faces! You look completely-,' he suddenly felt his chest cave in as he struck the edge of the water trough, '_ridiculous_.'

"Rapunzel winced and began to haul back her hair as Flynn weakly clambered onto the trough. A hard 'bam' turned her attention to Maximus. The horse, still determined to catch Flynn Rider, used his powerful hind legs to kick at one of the beams supporting the dam wall. He succeeded and watched in satisfaction as the long plank fell across his cliff and Rapunzel's, effectively spanning the gap. The horse got onto the make-shift bridge and started to make his way across, not knowing that he had just begun the rupturing of the dam. Rapunzel watched as Maximus neared closer and quickly turned to Flynn, shouting his name. The thief straddled the water trough, holding the girl's hair tightly as she prepared to jump again. Maximus extended his mouth and made to chomp upon her trailing locks, but Rapunzel soared gracefully down, skidding through a puddle on the quarry floor. Then a faintly ominous creaking could be heard throughout the area. The dam was breaking."

Thomas bellowed, "No! Run Flynn!"

"Run Rapunzel!" Ginger wailed.

Pascal let out a thrumming squeak.

"Quiet, all of you!" Annabelle snapped.

Eugene made an unfortunate ripping noise with his mouth, "_Creaaaghqcck_! The dam slowly began to topple, and a tremendous wave started to show itself over the edge of the wall. Flynn quickly skated down the water trough, his boots clicking against the sides as it, too, started to fall. He landed next to Rapunzel and helped gather up her trailing hair as the towering wave began to pour into the quarry. They both ran forward, not speaking, just trying their absolute hardest to make it to the mineshaft ahead. The growling roar of the river filled their ears and its great form draped a humongous shadow over the land. Above them, part of the cliff began to fall from the weight of the water rushing upon it. All Flynn could hear was his own heartbeat and the terrifyingly crushing flow of the river as he and Rapunzel entered the mine shaft and-."

Eugene glanced at a clock on the wall and smiled, "Would you look at that? It's time for lunch!"

"Wha—no! Dad, no, _please_ finish!" Thomas stared at his father, unable to believe that he was just leaving the story hanging like that.

Ginger pouted, "Daddy! Nooo!"

"But—but, Dad-." His older daughter pleaded.

Eugene shook his head, "No buts. I'm hungry and from the way your stomachs have been growling, I'd say you guys are starving too."

"I can wait." Thomas said, even as his stomach let out a particularly loud grumble.

"Yeah right. Okay, Annie, would you be so kind as to help me in the kitchen, please?"

Annabelle sighed and rose to her feet, "Sure, Dad."

"Now you two," Eugene kneeled down to look at his younger children, "I expect to come back and still find this part of the palace still here, got it?"

"Yes sir." They said resentfully.

He smiled and patted each on the head, "Good. Now don't break anything while I'm gone. It should only take about ten minutes."

"_Then_ you'll finish the story?" Ginger asked.

Eugene nodded, "Yes, Ginger-snap, _then_ I'll finish the story."

So it was, to the extreme agitation of his audience, that the Prince Consort of Corona walked with his eldest child towards the palace kitchens.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Note**: For all you people who are wondering why Eugene's children do not recognize him as the thief in his story, that is just how I see it happening. The way it's been written so far, Eugene has been concealing his and Rapunzel's identities throughout the whole story, so why would he reveal the truth now? Plus, I still just don't see his kids knowing him on a first-name basis that much—or at least have it click until the very last second that he bears some resemblance to the rogue of his tale.

I also am going to go on a hiatus until Tuesday because I have a lot of stuff to do between now and then and as much as I would like—spending time on this wouldn't be the best thing to do. Sorry for the wait, but I'll try to get up another chappie on Tuesday! Thanks for the reviews, you guys are amazingly thoughtful!

Oh, and by the way, you all now want peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches :)

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story and its characters. I only own the sandwiches :)

* * *

Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding that had occurred during his thievery days, the head chef of the royal kitchens absolutely refused to make anything Eugene requested personally. All he had stolen was the chef's secret recipe for cinnamon buns—as well as distribute it among every baker in town for a small fee.

However, upon being cleared by the king, Eugene had apologized and said that the only reason he had sold the recipe was that he was tired of having to return to the palace every time he needed to steal a good breakfast. Sadly enough, the chef had not appreciated his heartfelt apology, and therewith banished him from the kitchens for a month. But there really was no reason why the man had not forgiven him by now.

After all, Eugene thought to himself as he examined a jam jar, he _had_ returned the lost princess.

"Well, Annie, while I may not cook half as well as the head chef and nowhere close to the expertise of your mother, I still make a mean peanut-butter and jelly sandwich."

He set the grape jelly and jar of peanut-butter onto the counter while his daughter got out the breadboard and a freshly-baked loaf. Eugene took out a knife and started to cut even slices from the loaf, humming as he worked.

Annabelle, with a practiced hand, began to spread peanut-butter over the pieces of bread. She was being quiet, however, which worried her father. Normally his daughter loved cooking—even if it was only a sandwich. Once a week she spent a whole day in the kitchens, learning new recipes and fixing new foods with the cranky head chef. Several times he had caught his daughter and his wife cloistered away in their favorite corner beside the stove, chatting animatedly about pastries and stews and who knew what else while the royal chefs and servants prepared dinner. What was wrong?

In an attempt to break the unusual silence, as well as to ascertain the cause behind his daughter's muteness, Eugene asked, "So, did you enjoy baking those cupcakes with Chef Armando on Wednesday?"

"His name is Chef Arnold, Dad."

"Are you sure? Because he came from the Torren Peninsula and they don't have normal names there." He finished cutting up the bread, adding, "Instead they have names like John and Robert and Catherine…"

"Isn't Grandma's name Catherine?"

Eugene faltered, "Well—yes. Um…"

"Can you open the jelly?"

The Prince Consort nodded and carefully unscrewed the lid of the jar. Then he returned to his task, mentally telling himself to think before he said anything in front of his mother-in-law. She would probably laugh it off—he knew she loved him for what he had done for her daughter—but the rest of Corona's nobility would not appreciate a mispronunciation of their queen's name. Over the years, he had learned that rich people liked things pronounced correctly. It was a strange quirk, yet he knew that prince consorts did not go around pointing out the strangeness of Duke Whatshisname or Count Thingymabob. Thieves may do so, but prince consorts were not allowed such a luxury.

Then he realized that his daughter had been tapping his arm for the past minute, and he lowered his knife.

"Dad, are you listening to me?" She repeated for the third time.

"Yeah. Um, yes, I'm listening. What was your question?" He began to put the lid back onto the peanut-butter.

"Did all that stuff really happen? I mean, in the story. Is it actually all true?"

Her voice was nervous, and he looked down at her in concern even as he debated the question. What part of the story was she talking about? She knew it all by heart, so what question could she have that he had never answered before?

Finally he said quietly: "Well, Annie, it is true. It all happened like I told you—like I've been telling you for the past several years."

"Even the part about you being a thief?" She looked up at him with those brown eyes she had inherited—his eyes.

Eugene winced. He had been hoping—praying, even—that none of his children would point out that little detail. But Annabelle was smart, and, what was more, she was reaching the age when right and wrong became more complicated. Now, he knew that his life as a thief had ended long, long ago. He may remember some tricks of the trade, and he had the outmost confidence that he could still walk to the palace treasury blindfolded. He may even have wondered how much his wife's crown could fetch on the black market. But he was no longer a criminal. Those days were gone.

However, in the story, he was still the kingdom's most notorious bandit, and Annabelle had seen that.

Eugene nodded, muttering, "I…I was a thief, at one point in my life. I did bad things and I have no excuse for that. I was a criminal. But," he sighed, staring at the knife he had picked up, "your mother changed that. She changed a lot of things."

Annabelle started folding up the sandwiches, mumbling: "Did you actually—at the end, did you actually-?"

Eugene took his daughter's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Let's not finish the story until it's over, okay darling? Suffice it to say that it did happen, but it's not going to happen again for a long time."

She looked up at him, her forehead wrinkled in anxiety. Eugene smiled, "I promise. Besides, your mother wouldn't allow it to happen."

Annabelle smiled back, her cheeks dimpling with the action. He cupped her chin in his hand and chuckled, "There's my girl. I was beginning to miss those cute dimples of yours."

"Well, cute dimples are all a girl has." She said archly, rephrasing a line from the story she had been told all her life.

Eugene shook his head, "No, Annie. You've got much more than that. So much more."

She hugged him tightly, "Thanks, Dad."

Her father kissed her on the top of her head, "You're welcome."

"So," Annabelle started, picking up a tray of newly-crafted sandwiches, "when are you going to tell them that you're Flynn Rider and Mom's Rapunzel?"

Eugene shrugged as he got out a jug of milk and four glasses, "Not until the very end—unless they figure it out before then. That's what I did with you the first time I regaled you with the tale."

"Thomas is going to be _so_ upset when you tell him what Flynn's real name is."

He frowned and set the full cups onto another tray, "Why would he do that? His middle name is Eugene."

"And he doesn't like it, Dad."

"Well I didn't like mine at first," Eugene smiled, "now look at me."

When Eugene and his daughter arrived back from the kitchens with lunch, they came upon an interesting sight. Within the sun-washed room, Thomas was waving his slingshot and running around in circles, laughing maniacally. Ginger, lugging a suspiciously familiar frying pan behind her, followed him with a look of severe determination. Thomas yelled gleefully, "You can't catch Flynnigan Rider! No one can! Hahaha!"

His sister responded back in a screech that probably broke several sound barriers.

Wincing, Eugene glanced at his oldest daughter and carefully handed her the tray of milk. Then, rolling up his sleeves, the Prince Consort of Corona strode into the midst of the royal children. Eugene easily seized the pan-end of the offending kitchen implement and lifted his arm upward. He was a bit surprised to find that Ginger had not let go upon feeling the pan being raised, but instead hung onto the handle and gazed at her father in open-mouthed astonishment.

"And just _what_, may I ask, are you doing?" Eugene asked as Thomas's threats of 'stealing your gold, and your silver, and your pet frog' echoed somewhere near his knees.

Ginger replied, seriously, "I'm Rapunzel and I'm trying to chase that intrud'n Flann Rider from my tower!"

"Are you? Well, leave that to me, Miss Rapunzel."

Ginger nodded and promptly let go of the handle, landing onto her father's feet. Eugene swallowed back an agonized groan as he limped away towards his son. Thomas, still issuing challenges for frying pan duels and threatening to steal 'everything but your eyebrows', did not notice his father until Eugene had removed the slingshot from his hand.

"How on earth do you keep finding this thing?" Eugene asked, holding it out of his son's reach.

"You keep hiding it in the same place—in that pot over there." Thomas replied, nodding at the flower-printed pot sitting in a nearby corner.

Eugene, recognizing the pot, smiled ironically, "Oh, would you look at that. I'm getting as bad as Rapunzel."

"Rapunzel! Ooo! Are you gonna finish the story now, Daddy?" Ginger had recovered from her fall and was now tugging on her father's shirt, wrinkling it in a way that would make his valet pale.

Eugene shrugged, replying casually, "Oh, I don't know. I thought we could just eat for a bit and then all settle down for a nap instead."

Ginger frowned, "Daddy, I want to hear the rest of the story."

"Really, Ginger-snap? Because, let me be perfectly frank with you-."

"Your name's Frank?"

"No, it's-."

"Flynn Rider to the rescue!" Thomas dove in and tackled his father about the legs, causing him to lose his balance and fall over. With a yelp, Eugene felt his face crash onto the floor and a rather _too_ enthusiastic set of small fists pounding upon his back. He rolled over with a groan, only to have one of his son's polished shoes pressed upon his chest. Thomas raised his arms victoriously over his head, announcing: "Flynnigan Rider is the winner!"

Then Ginger pummeled him from behind, "Take this, you nasty Flann Rider!"

"It's _Flynn_!" Thomas protested, even as he and his sister began a wrestling match.

Eugene sat up and gratefully accepted a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich from Annabelle. Chewing thoughtfully, he watched as his younger children rolled across the floor.

"How long do you think they can keep this up?" He asked—though with his mouth full of sandwich, it mostly sounded like 'Ghow lon d'goo gink deycan keep disup?'

Annabelle frowned, "What?"

Eugene pointed at his mouth, trying to swallow, "Git's dapeanu'-bugger."

"Which one of Chef Arnold's jars did you use?" She asked him, delicately sidestepping her squabbling siblings and handing him a glass of milk.

After a quick quaff from his drink, her father replied, "Well, as you know, choosey dads choose—hey!" His sandwich was suddenly jerked out of his hand.

Eugene glared down at Pascal, who, using his super-long tongue, had just managed to nab himself lunch. Annabelle giggled as the chameleon proceeded to chomp down on his victorious catch.

Eugene frowned, "I can't see why you're laughing, Annie. That frog just stole my peanut-butter and jelly sandwich!"

Thomas stuck his head up, "Did you just say peanut-butter?"

Ginger stopped trying to put her brother in a half-nelson and smiled, "Daddy! Peanut-butter and jelly?"

Eugene nodded, grinning, "I know it's your favorite and that Chef Armando refuses to make it for you. Not to mention, it's the only thing_ I_ can make without burning something."

"Awesome!" Thomas immediately fell upon the defenseless tray of sandwiches, snatching one up and tearing into it hungrily.

Ginger took a bite out of her sandwich with the same amount of fervor as her brother, but Annabelle restrained herself and daintily nibbled on a sandwich's end. She was, after all, the eldest and had to provide an example. Of course, Eugene mostly knew it was because of what her grandmother had taught her in their etiquette lessons together. He idly considered, listening to the ravenous sounds his son was making, what teacher they would hire for Thomas. The poor man would probably be fleeing the palace after day one.

"Story?" Ginger asked, after a few minutes of steady chewing.

Eugene took a swig from his glass and picked up another sandwich, "Will you be able to hear through your brother eating?"

She nodded energetically, her jelly-smeared face resplendent with an eager grin.

Her father sighed, "Very well. Now where were we…" he snapped his fingers, "Ah, yes! The dam."

"So did Rapunzel get out?"

"Dig Glenn beeg up sumrocs?" Thomas asked around the peanut-butter.

"Not quite." Eugene said, wondering whom Thomas could have gotten his table manners from.

"Well, what happened then?"

"Hmmm… Well, as far as I can remember, our dashing thief and his attractive, golden-haired companion darted into the shaft. Flynn found the frying pan as he crossed the threshold and he handed it to Rapunzel. Almost immediately after they had gotten to safety, rocks, knocked loose by the torrential wave from the dam, shut over the entrance and submerged them in complete darkness. Water was still gushing in, however, so Flynn and Rapunzel backed away from the entrance in the hopes to escape the flow. But, as they stepped away, they both felt hard stone underneath their fingers where the mining tunnel should be. Flynn felt the wall in increasing fear. No. _No_! There had to be a way—ouch!" Eugene clutched at his left hand, "He had cut his hand upon a sharp rock during his search. Next to him, Rapunzel banged uselessly at the stones with her frying pan, Pascal muttering encouragement in his little reptile language. The water was rising dangerously fast, now, dampening their clothes and making the whole situation infinitely worse."

Eugene imitated taking a deep breath and bowed his head, "Then Flynn plunged into the depths of the pool that had accumulated about them. He opened his eyes underwater, trying to penetrate the dim gloom of the onrushing current. He couldn't see however, and he blindly tried to feel the rocks for some gap or looseness, but he only succeeded in making his lungs burn from lack of oxygen. He quickly dove up and took another breath before heading back down into the cold water. He had to get out of here—Flynn thought desperately—he had to get out of here and he had to get Rapunzel out of here so she could see those stupid lights. Wait—was he actually admitting to _caring_ about the girl?"

He asked this question to his audience, who simply continued to chew at him in munch-ridden silence. Trying to cover up his smirk, Eugene continued speaking.

"Knowing now that his attempts were futile, the thief swam upward and broke the surface of the water. He leaned against the rock, wiping his hair back from his forehead as he muttered, 'It's no use. I can't see anything.' Beside him, he just made out Rapunzel's huddled, shivering form. Then there was a splash and with shock he realized that the girl had actually gone into the water herself! Was she crazy?

"Flynn quickly dove down and grabbed her around her waist, pulling her back up with him. They both gasped as they reached air. The water level had gotten noticeably higher now—it was getting close to their shoulders. Flynn gingerly reached out and peeled some of Rapunzel's long, wet hair out of her face. 'Didn't you hear me? It's no good, it's pitch-black down there.' He told her, hoping that she would give up so she could stay alive for just a little bit longer."

Eugene's face fell, "And then Flynn heard crying… real, honest-to-goodness crying full of horrible regret and sadness. This wasn't like how Rapunzel cried out in the forest—this was pure, heart-rending grief. He felt horrifyingly numb with the pain of it. How could he, the great Flynn Rider whose career of ingenious exploits was about to be cut short, actually feel this badly for—for this _girl_? Slowly, he heard what she was murmuring through her tears. 'M-mother was right, I should have _never_ have done this. I'm s-so s-sorry Flynn…'

"The thief frowned. She was saying sorry to him? He—whose very existence had gotten her into this mess—and she was apologizing to _him_? For a second, Flynn just stood there, feeling the water lapping at his arms. Then, a strong emotion he hadn't experienced in years filled him and he said, quietly, '_Eugene_.'"

Eugene's children opened their mouths to say something. Although, thanks to the peanut-butter, their father could pretend he had not heard them—or understand them, which was, in reality, quite true.

He spoke softly now, "Rapunzel looked at his form in the darkness, 'What?' The thief shrugged, replying sheepishly, 'My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. Someone should know.'"

Thomas, after valiantly combating the peanut-butter obstruction in his mouth, blurted, "Eugene? What kind of sissy name is that?"

His father frowned and pointed warningly at him, "It's _my_ name and _yours_ and it's far from sissy! You, me, and that thief happen to have that in common—the non-sissy, undoubtedly macho name of 'Eugene'."

"And a few other things besides." Annabelle muttered, to her father's amusement.

Ginger touched her father's hand with her sticky, grape-jellied fingers, "Daddy, what happened next?"

Eugene smiled, "Well, Rapunzel was surprised to hear this handsome, slightly sarcastic, thief admit that his name was not really Flynn Rider. He had probably revealed his deepest secret to her, thinking that they were both going to die. And so far, Flynn had proven—in a somewhat indirect way—that she could trust him. So, smiling, Rapunzel revealed her secret: 'I have magic hair that glows when I sing.' Flynn bucked back, retorting, 'What?' Suddenly realizing what she had said, Rapunzel clutched at her hair and repeated slowly, 'I have—magic hair—that _glows_ when I sing!' The water was rising past their necks now and Rapunzel, using her last breath, sang out '_Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine_'—weuhoom!" Eugene gulped another deep breath of air, closing his eyes tightly and bobbing his head down again.

He opened his eyes and stared at his children, his cheeks bulging with air. Letting it out, Eugene said, "Flynn could sense light in the water. He opened his eyes and gazed, dumbstruck, at Rapunzel's trailing mane of hair. It was gleaming like fire from the very sun! How was this possible? Then the thief noticed something, and swam down towards a small opening in the rocks below. He used his big hands as Rapunzel joined with her smaller hands, shoving aside stones and dirt and trying to reach the other side. Then, moving back, Flynn punched feverishly at the rock.

"His fist knocked aside the final stones and he felt it plunge out into open air. This punch, combined with his weight, Rapunzel's weight, and the water's weight, broke the rocks loose and they all fell out into the stream that lay just beyond the quarry. After a very hasty swim, Flynn, Rapunzel, and her pet fr-."

"Chameleon, Dad."

"-Pascal all collapsed onto the grassy bank, sucking in the cool, sweet evening air. It was sunset—and the world about them had been tinged a hazy, pinkish color. It would have been very beautiful had they not just escaped drowning. Then, after a moment of coughing, Rapunzel exclaimed 'We're alive! We made it!' and got to her feet, dragging her long wet hair up with her. Flynn lifted his face up from the ground, his eyes wide as he said, 'Her hair glows! I did not see that coming.' Rapunzel called to him, 'Eugene.' The thief turned to Pascal, 'Her hair actually glows.' 'Eugene.' Rapunzel said again. Flynn, his nerves now completely shot, yelled at Pascal: 'Why does her hair glow?' 'Eugene!' Rapunzel shouted. '_What_?' He roared back, holding his injured hand and glaring at her. She smiled and said, 'It doesn't just—glow…' Flynn looked from her to the frog sitting in the grass beside him. He asked, his voice constricted in panic, 'Why is he smiling at me?'"

"Because he likes him." Ginger said, smiling.

Eugene grinned, "Oh, I don't think that's quite it, Ginger-snap. Anyway, as Flynn still struggled to deal with this new turn of events, something else was happening in another part of the forest. Mother Gothel, fingers wrapped firmly about her dagger, hid as a banging sound came from the duckling-printed trapdoor resting within a hollow, dead tree trunk. As soon as that idiotic thief got out, she would end his life with one swift stab and regain her lost flower. Gothel prepared to dive in as the trapdoor burst open, but she saw, to her extreme disappointment, that it was only the Stabbington brothers. Both were soaking wet and choking from the flood their arch-nemesis, Flynn Rider, had managed to create in the quarry.

"Bush-face growled angrily, 'I'll kill that Rider! I'll kill him!'"

"Not before Flynn gets him!" Thomas vowed, taking a rather savage bite out of his sandwich.

His father ignored this comment and renewed his narration, "As the brothers continued to complain about Flynn, Gothel paused. These two could be useful—they could even help her get her flower back. An idea formed in her mind, and she ascended a nearby boulder. 'Yoohoo! Boys!' Gothel held out the satchel in her hand. The Stabbington brothers stared on in disbelief and then unsheathed their swords, ready to attack the defenseless woman. But then, she rolled her eyes and tossed the satchel to them. 'Please,' she said, watching as they fought over the crown, 'there's no need to be dramatic.' Bush-face gazed at the shining crown in his hands, a wide leer spreading over his face. Then Gothel said, 'If that's all you want. But, of course, that's not even the best part.' The two men frowned, 'What's the best part?'

"Gothel smiled evilly and held out the artistically-challenged wanted poster of our beloved thief. She said, in a sing-song voice, 'It comes with revenge on _Flynn Rider_…'"


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Note**: Surprise! I couldn't wait until Tuesday! I'm back and all moved in for the second semester of freshman year! :D Howdy! I'm not quite sure I like how the campfire sequence translated into writing—I think the movie just does it so nicely that it looks ill-fitting anywhere else… but I gave it my best shot so I hope you all enjoy it! The Gothel part though took an incredibly annoyingly long time to do, which I suppose can only give me more reason to dislike her :) kingdom dance sequence next! *scurries off to write*

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters

* * *

Thomas glared, "That rotten ha-," he stopped at the look on his father's face, and hastily finished, "-I mean—that good for nothing old lady."

Ginger looked at her father, "I don't understand… what's the bad lady doing?"

"She's setting a trap for Flynn and Rapunzel, sweetie. She wants to use Flynn's bitter partners as a way to separate him from her magic flower. It was a cruel trick—as you will later see. Now, back to the heroes of our story-."

"That's Rapunzel, right?" Ginger brightened.

Her brother shook his head, "No, Gin', it's Flynn!"

Annabelle sighed, "Oh, come on, guys, can't you see it's both of them?"

Eugene smiled, "Your sister is right, kids. Both Flynn and Rapunzel share the same responsibility of heroism. They just—perform it differently—but they compliment each other quite well."

Thomas frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that they are a team. Or, at least, they became one."

"Like you and Mommy?"

His grin broadened, "Yeah—just like your mother and me."

"Okay, so, what happens next, Dad? Did the mean old lady find them?" His son asked, looking at his father expectantly.

Eugene yawned slightly, "Well, like I said, by the time Flynn and Rapunzel had washed up onto the riverbank, it was sunset. They moved away from the stream, going back into the shelter of the forest trees. Flynn gathered firewood and built a fire next to an old log. He was still thinking about how Rapunzel's hair had glowed in the water, and he had trouble calming himself down. Finding a girl with preposterously long hair was one thing—but now finding a girl whose hair _glowed_ when she sang? That was earthshaking.

"This girl, the one who had so captivated his thoughts, was walking uncertainly around the clearing. She had never been outside at night before, and she marveled at hearing crickets chirping and the frogs croaking loudly by the gurgling river. Rapunzel gazed at the dark trees beyond the ruddy firelight, her hair trailing behind her in the soft grass and forming graceful loops around the campsite. She was still unsure whether or not she should tell Flynn her full secret… he didn't need to know, after all. But—while at the beginning of the day he was snide and concerned only about that silly crown—she felt he had changed during those intense minutes in the cave. Maybe it was the simple fact that she knew his real name, but she saw him differently now."

Ginger, cradling a sleepy Pascal in her hands, asked, "Different?"

Her father nodded, "Yep. She saw him as a friend rather than a thief. And, when you think about it, he was the only other person she knew aside from Gothel and Pascal. So Rapunzel turned to find that Flynn had taken a seat on the log, examining his hand in light of the fire. He was wincing as he poked at his palm, and she remembered that he had cut himself while trying to escape the cave. Thoughtfully, she sat down next to him, noticing that he scooted back a few inches. Flynn rubbed at his stinging hand absently, trying to think of something to say. Finally, he asked, 'Um, just out of curiosity, what did you mean when you said your hair doesn't just glow?'

"Rapunzel wordlessly pulled a lock of her hair up until she reached the end. Then she gently took Flynn's hurt hand in both of hers. "Let me show you." She said, her slightly calloused fingers cradling his rougher, thicker hand. Flynn half-shrugged, grinning uneasily as he replied, "Okay." Then the girl did something he had not expected, and began to pull her hair carefully over his hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Her hair had dried incredibly fast in such a short time, and it was now quite soft.

"'So,' the thief muttered nervously, 'you're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand.' Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his palm as her finger brushed over the fresh cut, and he gasped. Rapunzel grimaced, 'Sorry.' She finished wrapping Flynn's hand, and added, 'Just—don't freak-out, okay?' Flynn frowned. Don't freak out? He had been freaking out all day, so why should now be any different? But, the look on her face made him nod hesitantly."

Eugene looked at his kids, "Do you remember that song I told you about—the one that makes Rapunzel's hair glow?"

They nodded silently.

"Well, Rapunzel began to sing this song in her clear, beautiful voice. While she sang, Flynn watched her hair. A shining stream of light spread from the top of her head and crawled down its length, turning the normal, blonde mane a gleaming river of golden luster. He gazed around, seeing blonde hair change into gold as bright as a sunray. It was—amazing… Then, he spotted Pascal standing next to this ribbon of light, and saw that the reptile was pointing at his tiny foot and smiling.

"Flynn glanced down at his own hand, apprehensively seeing the hair about it flash golden. Then his hand grew hot—really hot except it didn't hurt," Eugene gazed at his own hand. "When Rapunzel reached the end of the song, her hair stopped glowing and returned to its normal color and luminosity. She looked up at Flynn, watching as he carefully pulled away the hair wrapped about his hand. The thief's eyes grew large as he stared in numb disbelief at the healed, flawless skin where a minute before had been a deep gash.

"He glanced at Rapunzel and then back at his palm, switching between the two as though he couldn't decide which scared him more. Flynn started breathing hard, his mind racing in terror. This should not have happened—this shouldn't be real! Flynn opened his mouth, ready to scream, when Rapunzel held out her hands and pleaded, 'Please don't freak-out!' Flynn, his mouth open, felt the scream die into a whine and he hastily folded his arms, muttering quickly. 'Uh—I'm not freaking-out, are you freaking-out? No, I'm just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses and how long has it been doing that, exactly?'"

"Why is he scared?" Ginger asked.

Her father smiled, explaining, "Because, Ginger-snap, people don't normally have magic glowing hair that heals when sung to. As a man of the world, Flynn had thought he had seen everything. But this girl was slowly shaking his confidence in what he knew and believed in. After all, if this was possible, what other far scarier things lay out there?"

She moved closer to him, whispering, "_Are_ there scarier things, Daddy?"

Eugene put his arm around her, "Yeah. But with a good frying pan and me, you'll be safe, Ginger-snap."

His daughter giggled slightly, "Okay."

He continued narrating, "Anyway, Rapunzel shrugged and smiled, answering, 'Um, forever, I guess?' And then her face grew more pensive as she continued, 'Mother says that when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves.' She reached back and pulled her hair aside, revealing the back of her neck and a short, brown piece of hair, 'But, once it's cut, it turns brown and loses its power. A gift like that—it _has_ to be protected…' Flynn watched as Rapunzel stroked at her hair, murmuring, 'That's why Mother never let me-,' she sighed, '-that's why I never left and…' she stopped talking and looked away. Flynn finished her thought, muttering quietly, '-you never left that tower?'

"Rapunzel turned to him, her green eyes meeting his. Flynn asked, 'And you're still going to go back there?' Rapunzel frowned, 'No—yes?' She put her face in her hands, mumbling, 'It's complicated.' The thief watched her, remembering the inner-struggle she had experienced upon first leaving the tower. Most of the time, Rapunzel had been so full of happiness and life to the point of being annoying—but whenever she thought about Mother Gothel, her guilt overcame her. It touched his heart, making him feel sorry for the girl. For years he had never felt sorry for anyone but himself but now… now it seemed that things were changing. Then Rapunzel asked him about _his_ life—his name, Eugene Fitzherbert, and what it all meant."

"What _does_ it all mean?" Thomas asked, looking up at his father through unkempt bangs.

"It meant that there was once a young boy named Eugene Fitzherbert, and he was an orphan. His parents had died from an illness that had swept the land, so Eugene was sent to the local orphanage to be taken care of. When he got old enough, he ran away from the orphanage and became a thief. But Thomas, do you know why Eugene decided to change his name to Flynn Rider?"

He shook his head.

"Well," Eugene gazed at the wooden floor in front of him, "There was this book—one that you should know very well since I've read to you a hundred times. It was called the _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_ and was about the swashbuckling adventures of said rogue. This was Eugene's favorite book, and every night he used to read it to the younger kids at the orphanage. He would tell them about Flynnigan Rider's daring swordfights, of his untold riches, and how he rescued damsels-in-distress. But, then the matron of the orphanage would give the order for bed, and Eugene remembered about how he _didn't_ have anything. He couldn't fight, he didn't have money, and he didn't care much about girls at that point. But, something struck a chord in him and he promised himself he would be Flynn Rider one day—and eventually, his daydream became true.

"But then, before he knew it, Flynn had told Rapunzel all of this. All about his dreams and how he had become a thief because of them… all about what he had ever wanted…" Eugene's voice died, and his eyes grew distant.

Tentatively, Ginger asked, "Why did he tell Rapunzel that?"

Eugene shrugged, replying quietly, "I guess—I guess he told her because, for the first time in his life, someone was willing to listen. This beautiful, talented, brave girl was willing to listen to him speak about who he really was. And she didn't make any comments or excuses for him. She just listened. It was nice, having someone listen to him—someone who cared, and whom he cared for."

Eugene glanced up, "Anyway, Flynn told Rapunzel not to tell anyone about his secret. After all, it would ruin his whole reputation, and as Flynn said, 'a false reputation is all a man has.' Rapunzel laughed, her happiness seeming to make the night brighter. Flynn gazed at her, and, realizing he should probably look away, he mumbled something about getting more firewood and started to leave the firelight. Rapunzel called him back, 'Hey.' He turned around to see her still sitting on the log, her hair all around her. She smiled, and said, 'For the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert much better than Flynn Rider.' The thief smiled in return, muttering, 'You'd be the first but—thank you.' Then he left to get more wood, rubbing his recently-healed hand as he went.

"Rapunzel watched him go, his tall form disappearing into the surrounding darkness. She smiled, breathing in the sharp smell of smoke from the campfire and the delightfully crisp odor of the grassy earth. She thought about the way he had looked at her during their conversation—and how he had asked the one question she had been trying to answer all day. Was she really going to go back after all _this_?"

"Well, _is_ she?" Ginger asked.

Eugene grinned, "Not if Flynn Rider kept looking at her like that, she wasn't. After all, he _was_ pretty handsome. Remember that his nose was like a Grecian-."

"Dad." Annabelle said, frowning at him.

Her father laughed slightly, "All right, Rapunzel still wasn't completely sure about Flynn. But she did trust him, and that meant a lot, especially since he had trusted her in return. Then, as she was mulling everything over, a voice spoke out of the black trees behind her: 'Oh, I thought he'd _never_ leave!' Rapunzel turned around, completely stunned as she exclaimed, '_Mother_!'"

Thomas scowled, "Mother? As in-?"

"Yep, as in Mother Gothel, the same wicked witch who stole Rapunzel to leech off her hair's powers."

"Is Flynn going to beat her up _now_?" Thomas asked, sounding hopeful.

Eugene shook his head, "Flynn's not around, remember? No, this confrontation was just between Gothel and Rapunzel. Anyway, after searching all evening, Gothel had found out where the thief had taken her magic flower. She waited until Flynn was gone, deciding to fall back on her old guilt tricks to make Rapunzel come back home. So Gothel revealed herself to her adopted daughter, and Rapunzel saw that she had aged some since they had last seen each other. Gothel's smooth skin was beginning to wrinkle, and her hair had tinges of grey in it like someone had dusted her with chalkboard erasers. To accompany her frightening visage, Gothel summoned thick fog to cover the ground, turning the warm, forest night into a nightmare.

"Sweeping over to Rapunzel, Gothel crushed her in tight hug as the girl stammered, 'How—how did you find me?' Gothel replied back with an evil smile, 'Oh, it was easy, really. I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.' Rapunzel sighed and tried to speak, but was interrupted by Gothel telling her that they were going home. Rapunzel shook her head, protesting, 'Wait—you don't understand! I've been on this incredible journey! I've seen and learned so much…' She smiled, remembering Flynn, 'I've even met someone.' Gothel rolled her eyes, replying sarcastically, 'Yes, the wanted thief, I'm _so_ proud. Come on, Rapunzel, let's go home.' She seized Rapunzel by the wrist and began tug her away from the campsite, but the girl jerked her arm from her grasp. 'Mother, wait!' Rapunzel said, trying to get the chance to explain her thoughts. 'I think—I think he likes me.'

"Gothel scoffed at this idea, her words painfully dismissive as she pranced around the foggy clearing. She claimed there was no way that the thief could have ever cared about a girl like Rapunzel. 'Look at you—you think that he's impressed?' Gothel asked her flower, intending to crush her spirit like she had done so many times before. All it would take would be a little more of her cleverly-worded insults, and the girl would be back in Gothel's cruel clutches."

Eugene clenched his fist, his face darkening at the memory. His children watched him apprehensively, unused to seeing such pain in their father's eyes. Ginger lightly slid her tiny hand into his, and he smiled at her.

"You don't like this part?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head, "Not really. But you have to know about it otherwise the rest of the story won't make any sense. Anyway, Gothel continued to try to convince Rapunzel to go back, using her cunning lies and deceit." Eugene held up a finger, "But what she didn't know, was that Rapunzel's spirit had strengthened within the past few hours. Steeling herself, Rapunzel shouted a bold 'NO!' at Gothel's suggestion to 'come with Mummy.' Gothel stopped—then her eyes narrowed as she realized that she was too late. The thief _had_ corrupted her flower! And that meant she had to ruin him by any means possible.

"So, pulling out Flynn's satchel from beneath her cloak, Gothel withdrew the crown and tossed them both to Rapunzel. She screamed that the crown was the only reason Flynn was still there. She dared Rapunzel to give the crown back to him, warning her that after he had gotten it, he would leave her. Rapunzel defiantly replied that she would give it back, refusing to believe that Flynn would do anything to hurt her. But Gothel could see a faint doubt in her adopted daughter's eyes, and she knew she had done her job well. Raising her cloak about her, the wicked witch turned and disappeared, taking the fog and Rapunzel's cheerfulness away with her."

"Dad, _when_ is she going to get beaten up?" Thomas groaned impatiently.

Eugene smiled, "Just wait, Thomas. The bad people always get their just preserves in the end."

"It's 'just deserts', Dad." Annabelle reminded him.

Her father grinned, "Sorry. I was just thinking about dinner tonight. Your mother's cooking, do you know that?"

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, Dad, we all know how excited you get when Mom cooks."

He smiled, "Why not? She's a great cook! But, as much as I would _love_ to talk about your mother's cooking, I should probably get back to the story. Okay, so when Gothel had gone, the night returned back to normal. The crickets started chirping again as the stream murmured in the distance. Rapunzel just stood where Gothel had left her, trying to decide what to do about the satchel in her arms. Eventually, she heard Flynn's approaching footsteps, and Rapunzel hastily shoved the satchel under a bush. Understand, she still wanted to see the lanterns, and what Gothel had said about Flynn made her too scared to give him the crown. So, nervously smiling, she watched as he came back with an armload of firewood, her mind still filled with Gothel's warnings.

"After a while, Flynn and Rapunzel settled down to sleep. Flynn took the ground on one side of the fire and Rapunzel took the other, using her hair as a great blanket. Rapunzel gazed up at the stars above her, thinking about everything that had happened that day in contrast with what she had been told all her life. The world didn't seem to be as horrible as Mother Gothel had told her. In fact, it was quite amazing. Sighing, Rapunzel glanced at Flynn, studying his strong features and wondering if Gothel was wrong about him as well. She hoped she was.

"Eventually, just as Flynn was about to fall asleep, he heard Rapunzel ask him, 'Eugene, what are we doing tomorrow? Aside from the lanterns—that is.' The thief groaned, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. However, he knew that Rapunzel would probably keep asking until he answered, so he replied, 'It's only a few minutes' walk to the city from here. Then, we'll wait until night when they set off the lanterns, watch them, and head back home.'

"His eyes were closing again when Rapunzel asked, 'What's the city like?' Flynn shrugged, answering, 'Big, lots of people, nice when you're not on the run.' She urged him, 'Go into detail.' He rolled his eyes and said, 'It's a city, you live in it. Not much to tell.' There was a soft noise to his left, and he looked to see that Rapunzel had rolled over and was now pouting at him in such an-," Eugene smirked at his son, "-absolutely _adorable_ way, he had to respond."

Thomas sighed.

His father continued speaking, "Flynn said, 'Blondie, I'm telling you, there's nothing really great about the city. About the only significant thing that happens there—aside from the gold and jewels—are the lanterns they set off for the princess.' Rapunzel frowned, and she asked, 'Princess?' Flynn nodded, 'Yes, princess. I don't know the whole story, but apparently when the king and queen's daughter was a baby, someone stole into the palace and kidnapped her. In order to find her, the whole kingdom sent floating lanterns up into the sky, hoping she would see them and come back home. They keep doing it every year, though I honestly don't know what they're expecting. After all-,' Flynn laughed, 'it's not like some heroic prince charming is going to pop out of nowhere and bring the princess home.'"

Annabelle smiled as her father winked at her. Ginger watched them suspiciously, her green eyes narrowing. Thomas, meanwhile, was still pouting about his hero's new love of the word 'adorable'.

Eugene shrugged, "Anyway, Rapunzel turned back to gaze up at the heavens. She remembered sneaking down to the tower window at night and pushing open the shutters so she could watch the glowing lights rising in the sky. The girl smiled, replying quietly, 'Well, I don't know about any lost princess, but they make me feel special.' Flynn laughed again, responding, 'Good for you, Blondie. Now let's get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.'"

Eugene smiled, "And it definitely was a long day, I can tell you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Note**: The first time I saw the clip 'Reluctant Alliance' I just fell in love with Maximus and how Rapunzel manages to wrap him around her little finger in a matter of seconds it's hysterical! Also, throughout the kingdom dance scene (which is also completely amazing and is probably one of my most favorite montages of all time) I tried to do the sequences in terms of how they were presented throughout the day—how the sun appeared at that moment.

P.S. See if you can find the pineapple!

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story.

* * *

Ginger looked at him, "So then what happened?"

Her father smiled, "What do you think happened, Ginger-snap?"

"They went to sleep?"

"Yep. The night passed quietly, and then the following morning came to the world. Sunshine spread out over the forest, with light lancing down through the trees and warming the land underneath the bright blue sky. Flynn was sleeping quite peacefully when, suddenly, a trickle of water hit him in the face. Our beloved thief opened his eyes and saw with unconcern, that the palace horse Maximus was standing over him. Maximus had just come from the river, where he had been swept along all night after the dam flooding. Water dribbled off the end of his snout, and he glared in outrage at the sleepy face of the thief that had so far eluded justice.

"Flynn smiled and closed his eyes, muttering a drowsy 'good morning' to the horse. Maximus neighed angrily and grabbed Flynn's foot with his strong mouth. He then proceeded to drag the protesting man across the forest floor. Flynn shouted in surprise, grasping at grass and tree roots as he tried to escape the indomitable steed. Maximus only snorted in answer around a mouthful of boot, preparing himself to tow the criminal all the way to the kingdom's prison. Then Flynn, still scrabbling at the dirt, yelled loudly enough that Rapunzel and Pascal immediately woke up. Rapunzel ran over to where the thief was still struggling with the horse and seized him by the arms. She leaned backwards, her eyes narrowing as she commanded through gritted teeth, 'Let go! Give me _him_!' Suddenly, Flynn's boot slipped off his foot and he and Rapunzel went flying backwards.

"Rapunzel quickly got to her feet and ran in front of the returning Maximus, trying to calm the crazy horse down as Flynn sank back against a nearby tree. Maximus, Flynn's boot still hanging from his mouth, suddenly found himself gazing into the green eyes of the girl with ridiculously long hair. His own eyes widened, and his ears perked up as Rapunzel remonstrated with him in a soft voice. 'Now sit.' Rapunzel ordered. Maximus sat down, still puzzled by the girl blocking him from the thief. Rapunzel pointed down at the ground and demanded, 'Drop his boot. Drop it.' Maximus spat out Flynn's boot onto the ground, complete with horse slobber."

"Ew!" Ginger cried, in a way that seemed slightly more gleeful rather than disgusted.

Eugene smirked, "Imagine what it must of felt like to stick your foot back into it. Anyway, Rapunzel started patting Maximus on the nose, confusing the horse even more when she asked him kindly, 'Are you tired of chasing the bad man all over the place?' Maximus nodded, his long face sad. Flynn frowned, asking indignantly, 'Excuse me?' But Rapunzel ignored his comment, keeping her focus on the horse.

"'Nobody appreciates you, do they?' Rapunzel asked as she threw her arms around Maximus's great neck. Flynn, who at this point was feeling the slightest pangs of jealousy, watched in amazement as Rapunzel started _hugging_ the horse that had almost killed them yesterday. What on earth was she thinking? In disbelief, he said, 'But he's a bad horse!' Rapunzel rolled her eyes and retorted, 'No he's _not_. He's nothing but a big sweetheart, isn't that right,' she looked at the name on his riding gear, reading aloud, 'Maximus?' Rapunzel continued to scratch Maximus on the chin, earning delighted whinnies in return. Flynn crossed his arms, muttering, 'I don't believe this.'

"The horse narrowed his eyes and grunted suspiciously at the thief. Rapunzel sighed and walked over to grab Flynn's arm, pulling him upright. 'Look,' she said delicately, addressing Maximus, 'today is kind-of the biggest day of my life and I need you not to get him arrested. Just for twenty-four hours only, and then you can chase each other to your hearts' content.' Flynn groaned and held out his hand for a handshake, knowing that he would never do this for anyone else but Rapunzel. Maximus looked away from the thief, snorting. Rapunzel leaned over and told Maximus it was her birthday, reminding him that on birthdays, people do special things for other people they like. With a reluctant sigh, Maximus agreed and held out his hoof, shaking Flynn's hand. Suddenly, a bell began to toll somewhere beyond them, making Rapunzel gaze up in surprise.

"She could see the top of the royal palace peeking out over the trees, and was amazed to see something so tall. Before Flynn or Maximus knew what had happened, Rapunzel was sprinting through the trees towards the road that led to the city. Flynn eyed Maximus carefully, unsure if he wanted to turn his back to him or not. After all, the horse might break the deal and simply renew his attempts of capturing him. Then Rapunzel's voice echoed from up ahead: 'Eugene! Come here! This is sooo amazing!' Maximus snorted in horse laughter, and Flynn shot him a look, snapping, 'No jokes about the name, okay fleabag?' Maximus's pupils contracted in a stern warning. Flynn smiled warily and went off to find Rapunzel."

Thomas frowned, "Why doesn't Maximus like him? He likes Rapunzel, doesn't he? And Flynn's better, right?"

His father sighed, 'Well, I won't say that, but Max needed some time to realize that Flynn really wasn't too bad. I mean, he _is_ still considered a criminal, and Maximus is still the kingdom's most law-promoting horse. But they patch up their differences rather quickly thanks to a certain young lady and her pet frog."

Annabelle fake-coughed into her hand, "Chameleon."

"Sorry—chameleon. We mustn't forget Pascal. Speaking of that little green critter, where is he?" Eugene checked both his shoulders, making sure the reptile hadn't decided to demonstrate his tongue abilities again.

Ginger nodded at her lap, "He's with me, Daddy. He's sleeping."

"I think he ate too much." Thomas said, eyeing the snoozing chameleon, who—it has to be said—did have a rather round belly.

"Yeah he ate too much—the little guy scarfed most of my sandwich." Eugene muttered, listening to the tiny happy chameleon snores drifting up from beside him.

"Dad, when are you going to get back to the story?" Annabelle asked.

"Is everybody in this family impatient?"

"This is just one of the best parts. Come on, Dad."

Eugene looked at his oldest child and smiled slightly, "Well, I suppose it _is_ one of my favorite parts too. All right, so the foursome—Flynn, Rapunzel, Pascal, and Max—started to cross the enormous bridge that spanned the large river separating the city from the forest. To the east lay the sea, and to the west, the waterway wound endlessly into the distance. The city was situated on its own little island, rising up out of the water like a great mound. Built around a heavily wooded mountain, there were the elegant houses of noblemen, the simple homes of the common people, and, overlooking them all, the majestic palace of the king and queen. Each building seemed to shine in the late morning sunlight, and their beauty was reflected in the wide expanse of water surrounding the island.

"Rapunzel was astonished to see such a wonderful sight. How could anything be this magnificent, she wondered. Flynn, on the other hand, approached the city gates a little more nervously. He could still see some of those horribly drawn wanted posters plastered on the bridge, and he hoped that no one would recognize him. Then again, his likeness was so marred by the kingdom's artists that it would be an insult if anyone did. Yet, Flynn had to admit as he watched Rapunzel's face light up in awe and excitement, the risk was worth it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thomas asked, wary of how his father was describing the changes in his hero.

"It means, Thomas, that adventures have a way of bringing people together… and Flynn and Rapunzel are not an exception. Anyway, Rapunzel walked through the gates and into the main thoroughfare of the city. Lining the street were shops of all kinds, and above the road ran lines and lines of flags depicting the kingdom's crest—a yellow sun."

"Like ours?" Ginger asked, pointing at Corona's symbol embellished on the wooden floor in front of them.

"The spitting image," Eugene grinned, moving his feet off of one of the sun's outstretched rays. "Aside from the many decorations—for the city was getting ready for the lantern festival—there were also people of all shapes and sizes running errands to prepare for the holiday. Mothers toted their gabbling children with them as they shopped. Fathers worked in their stores alongside their sons and apprentices. Girls bought flowers at a nearby flower stall and boys howled with laughter as they raced through the alleyways. Farmers and fishermen brought in their livestock and their catch from the outlying fields and ocean.

"Rapunzel was enthralled by the existence of so many things happening all at once. However, her hair, which had been trailing behind her, was being stepped on and pulled by the unaware town-folk. Flynn spotted the problem almost immediately and helped Rapunzel gather up her golden hair to avoid the painful snagging. The thief knew cities and how crowded they were, so he knew that this problem had to be dealt with before they could go any further. Glancing around, he saw four little red-haired girls sitting at a fountain braiding each other's hair. He gave a piercing whistle and displayed the mass of hair in his arms, offering its potential to them, and they agreed immediately.

"Going to an empty courtyard some distance from the main street, Rapunzel allowed the little girls to spread her hair out far behind her. They skipped and danced over the golden locks, braiding them into an intricate plait that reached to Rapunzel's ankles. As a thoughtful addition, the girls had decided to add beautiful flowers in between the pretty tresses. Which, of course, that only made Rapunzel," Eugene looked at his son, "more _adorable_."

Thomas shook his head, muttering, "As long as Flynn doesn't think that."

"Sorry, son, but—he did. As Rapunzel twirled around, thanking the little girls for their help, Flynn admired the way the sun caught in her hair. She looked almost like a princess."

"She is a princess." Ginger pointed out.

"You're right. But Flynn did not know that. However, Maximus did notice the small smile of approval that came from Flynn's viewing Rapunzel, and the horse leaned over with a knowing grin on his face. The thief hastily pushed him away, trying to ignore the horse's laughter. Just then, Rapunzel walked up to him and held out her hand, saying quickly, 'Come on, Eugene! There's so much to see and we don't have a lot of time!' Flynn took her hand, opening his mouth to reply that they had hours before the lanterns, but before he could speak Rapunzel was pulling him through the streets of the city.

"She stopped at every booth, eagerly looking at all the merchandise with a gleaming smile on her face. She fingered the fine cloths at a weaver's stall, and smelled the warm scent of bread from the local bakery. She examined the masterfully-crafted furniture of a woodworker's workshop, running a hand down the smooth back of a chair. Flynn led her to a vegetable stand and he watched her smell the fresh crispness of each cabbage and the earthiness of the potatoes. Rapunzel also discovered a blacksmith's forge and stood in the doorway, listening to the ringing sound his hammer made as it struck hot steel and sent sparks into the air. Flynn, who had turned away for just a second, found her talking enthusiastically to the blacksmith about the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling and telling him he looked exactly like Hook-hand—minus the hook.

"Steering her away from the confused man, Flynn took Rapunzel to the plaza for lunch. At Rapunzel's insistence, Flynn agreed to actually _buy_ food rather than steal it. So, not believing what he was doing, the thief waited patiently in line outside of a meal stall. Rapunzel stood behind him, looking around at the talking crowds of people. She noticed a beautiful mosaic on the marketplace wall, and heard a small girl tell her mother that she had a flower for the lost princess. Rapunzel studied the mosaic, which depicted the royal family, and saw the kind faces of the king and queen, and the golden-haired baby princess in her mother's arms. It was a nice picture, and somehow it made her feel… odd. As though she was suppose to remember something from long ago."

Ginger beamed up at her father, asking, "Does she remember she's the lost princess?"

Eugene shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. For just then, a lute player, fife whistler, and fiddler walked by, playing an incredible tune. Rapunzel felt her heart quickening at the music, and her toes began to tap. Without a second's hesitation she leapt into the center of the marketplace, whirling around to the exciting, stirring tempo of the music. Flynn, meanwhile, had finally reached the counter of the booth. Before he could give his order, though, the seller thrust a pineapple into his face and asked, 'Are you a fan of delicious flavor?' Edging away from the spiky fruit, Flynn muttered, 'No thank you. Just—can I have some bread and cheese?' Sighing the seller did as he asked and Flynn paid quickly, turning around to find that Rapunzel had left him. Instead, the girl was dancing contentedly in the middle of the square, her skirt swishing gracefully with her movements."

"Was she a good dancer, Daddy?"

Eugene grinned, "She was a great dancer, and, in fact, soon she wasn't dancing alone. Rapunzel took the hands of a boy and led him out into the plaza. Then she grabbed the arm of a young man, and then another young man and his friends joined her. And soon, the whole marketplace was dancing and clapping to the music. It was just like when all the thugs and ruffians at the Snuggly Duckling had started singing. Rapunzel's joy and exhilaration was extraordinarily contagious. Even Flynn Rider, smiling as he watched the dancers, had to admit he felt something stirring deep down inside him."

"But he didn't dance, did he?" Thomas asked, his voice pleading. "Please tell me he didn't dance?"

"He didn't really want to—even when Rapunzel waved to him. Maximus, however, had a different idea in mind, and shoved him into the circle of dancers. Flynn only had time to shoot a glare in the snickering horse's direction before someone seized his hand and pulled him away. But, eventually, Flynn found Rapunzel and took her out of the circle to eat a quick lunch. While munching on her cheese sandwich, Rapunzel commented on the sun flags draped around the city. Flynn bought a flag from the boy who was selling them and gave it to Rapunzel, watching as she lifted the purple, sun-stamped cloth into the air to admire it against the surrounding decorations.

"Flynn, happy that Rapunzel liked her gift, decided to show her the bookstore next. They walked by the musicians and entered a low building where shelf after shelf of books stood, waiting to be read. Rapunzel—only used to three books at a time for her entire life—practically laughed at the sight of so many volumes. She began to race along the shelves, pulling out books at random. Flynn shrugged apologetically at the disapproving shop owner and went to join Rapunzel on the floor. Sunlight filtering in through the window, they sat together for an hour or so, Rapunzel reading aloud from the books she had gathered. Then, the musicians outside struck up another speedy song and they left to return to the dance.

"After entering the twirling throng again, both Flynn and Rapunzel became separated by the crowd of people. About a minute passed before Flynn found himself looking for her amid the other dancers. He couldn't help but think that a day or so ago, he would never be caught dancing with strangers during a festival. He had hardly ever purchased anything in his entire life, and he had never found vegetables or furniture very interesting. He couldn't even remember the last time he had read a book on geography and had actually enjoyed it. But after meeting Rapunzel, everything seemed different. She was constantly changing the way he had thought about the world. Everything had meaning now—everything was fantastic. She revealed a new side of life to him and completely overthrew his original opinions. Yet somehow, he didn't mind so much anymore. And then he realized he was dancing closer to Rapunzel and he held out his hand to take hers. However, one of the townspeople grabbed him and another grabbed Rapunzel, whisking them away from each other so that they couldn't dance."

"Aw." Ginger said, clearly disappointed.

Her father grinned, "I know how you feel, Ginger-snap. Eventually, the musicians stopped for a short break and the dancing ceased. Flynn looked around for Rapunzel and felt someone slide a small arm into his. He glanced down, pleased to find that it was Rapunzel. She was beaming at him, and her grin must have been infections because soon one appeared on his face as well. 'Eugene, this is amazing! I've never had so much fun before in my life!' She said, following him as he drifted closer and closer to a nearby shop. Flynn nodded, replying, 'Great. Now, a little green frog told me you like artsy things. Did you know there's a shop here that sells chalk?' The girl frowned, 'What's chalk?' He shrugged, 'It's like paint—'cept you use it on the pavement to make pictures.'"

Ginger gave a soft moan, "She didn't know what chalk was?"

"Nope, but she soon found out. See, Flynn bought a big box of chalk of all colors, and soon every kid—and Rapunzel—was lying upon the plaza tile, drawing to their heart's content. Rapunzel was a very good artist, and the thief watched in fascination as she ran purple and yellow and pink together to form a large, ornate sun. Around the sun's rays she put dancers and townspeople going about their day-to-day lives. Flynn smiled and looked at the kingdom flag in his hand, seeing the resemblance immediately and amazed at how talented the girl was. It was getting closer to sunset when Rapunzel finished and stood up, chalk streaks all over her arms.

"And then Flynn, remembering that it was Rapunzel's birthday, decided to get her cupcakes to celebrate. The thief paid for the cupcakes and joined Rapunzel in a nearby alcove, making sure the passing guards-."

"Guards?" Thomas looked up hopefully. "Did Flynn beat them up with the frying pan?"

Eugene shook his head, "No—that would probably have landed him in jail. But they were dodging guards all day. Anyway-."

"What flavor of cupcakes?" Ginger asked, her voice curious.

Her father frowned, "What—what does it matter?"

Annabelle sighed, "Dad, come on."

He shook his head dismissively, "I don't remember what kind of cupcakes they were."

"Make it up then." Ginger suggested, smiling.

Eugene shrugged, "Okay—they were… vanilla."

"That's _boring_!" Thomas protested.

"Thomas, what did I say about that word?"

"Only for Tutor Reynolds…" His son muttered.

"Well, Dad, that is a pretty boring flavor." Annabelle said fairly.

"Fine, what's your mother's favorite flavor?"

"You don't know Mom's favorite flavor?"

"Honey, do I look like the type of guy who memorizes cupcake preferences?"

She frowned at him, once again reminding him just how much she had inherited both her mother's and her grandmother's glaring skills. Eugene sighed.

"All right—they were strawberry flavored."

Annabelle smiled, remarking, "Dad, you remembered."

"Don't sound so surprised, Annie."

"I like strawberry cupcakes too!" Ginger said, smiling at her father.

"Yes dear, I know. It's another trait you've gotten from your mother. All right—have all cupcake questions been answered to satisfaction?"

His children nodded contentedly.

Eugene smiled, "Okay. So, after eating strawberry birthday cupcakes, Flynn and Rapunzel entered the final stage of the dance that had been going on all day. The orange sunset lit the sky above the dancers, making the plaza glow beneath the purple banners. The last strain of music swelled to an uproar, with people cheering and clapping the dancers on as they whirled around. Flynn, somehow paired with an overzealous-twirler, looked around and spotted Rapunzel moving towards him.

"Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be caught up in the thrill of the music. He grinned and then spun once more, releasing his partner's hands and meeting Rapunzel abruptly in the middle of the dancers. The music triumphantly ended just as Flynn caught her hands in his own. For a moment, he just stared down at the girl in his arms, happier than he had ever been in his life. Then he realized that the dance was over and he should probably let go now. As he backed away slightly, a loud call rose into the air, 'To the boats!'"

Eugene leaned down and grinned at his children, "It was time to see the lanterns."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Note**: Thank you guys so much for the kind reviews and for taking time out of your day to read this story. I always get excited whenever I see an increase on the review count, and I check several times after posting to see if you enjoyed the next chapter. :) I do have to say, however, that I'm not entirely the only author of this story. My sister deserves a load of the credit—she usually helps me with the kids' lines, as well as being the first reviewer and commenter on the chapters. Of course, she does that with anything fictional I work on and I greatly appreciate it :D okay, about the lantern scene—probably one of the coolest bit of animation I've seen in a long time—I absolutely love how the animators showed how the entire kingdom was backing their king and queen. And of course, the whole boat sequence—every minute of it—was just amazing! :)

_Soli Deo Gloria _

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters

* * *

"Yay!" Ginger said, moving closer to her father.

Thomas sighed, "What so great about some dumb lanterns? That's not fun."

Eugene frowned, "Haven't you been having a good time, Thomas?"

His son shrugged half-heartedly, "It was good for a little bit and now—now Flynn's kind-of acting like you when you're around Mom."

For a second, Eugene did not know what to say. Then, after receiving a nudge from his oldest daughter, he quickly asked, "And how do I act around your mother?"

"Well—you get all romantic and mushy and stuff. And goofy."

"You do act goofy, Daddy." Ginger agreed.

Eugene sighed, "Well, like me, and like every man who has ever been alive, Flynn has a soft spot for the ladies. And it's just another aspect of his character. He's a thief and he steals _everything_. But the hardest thing to steal is a woman's heart. Especially, if that woman is like Rapunzel. And besides, there will be plenty of fighting later and _you_ can help me with it, Thomas."

"Really?"

His father grinned at his anticipation, "Yes. I'll even let you be Flynn Rider."

"All right! Did you hear that Annie? I'm going to be Flynn Rider!" He smiled broadly at his sister, his brown eyes flashing with pleasure.

Annabelle sighed, "Yes, I heard. Now, Dad, can we please get back to the story?"

"Yeah, we can get back to the story. So, the sun was setting and Flynn took Rapunzel by the hand, leading her down to the city docks. The waves washed upon the quay, and the ships creaked in their hawsers. A cat snoozed in the doorway of a fisherman's hut, and sea gulls took flight across the slowly darkening sky. Flynn, who had rented a small boat for the evening, helped Rapunzel into the vessel and began to untie the line from the dock. Maximus looked sadly at them, because a horse was too heavy for that boat to hold. Flynn grinned in sympathy and tossed a bag of apples onto the dock, calling 'Hey, Max.' At first, the horse looked down sternly, assuming that the thief had simply stolen them. But Flynn told him, 'Relax, I bought them.' Max smiled and began to eat the apples in enjoyment while the little boat moved away from the dock. As Flynn began to row out into the open water, Rapunzel asked, 'Where are we going?' The thief gently took Pascal off his shoulder and let him climb onto the boat behind him, answering, 'Well, best day of your life, right? I figured you should have a decent seat.'

"With powerful strokes, Flynn rowed the boat out into the river. Right in front of them laid the city, its turrets and rooftops a dark shadow against the night sky. Very few lights were on in the homes of the town-folk due to the nature of the festival, and it was quiet out on the water. Flynn glanced away from the city and saw that Rapunzel appeared uncomfortable. He frowned in concern and asked, 'You okay?' The girl stared down at her own reflection and shook her head, whispering, 'I'm terrified.'

"Naturally, Flynn was confused. They had come all this way and were finally about to see the lanterns—the very thing Rapunzel had been dreaming about forever—but now she was terrified? After a moment, he asked, 'Why?' Rapunzel shrugged and answered, 'I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky… What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?' Flynn assured her comfortingly, 'It will be.' The girl sighed and looked at him, asking, 'And what if it is? What do I do then?' Flynn smiled, 'Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream.' "She smiled back at him, happy that he was there with her and was trying to make the day special for her. She knew that most of the things he had done that day were not among his favorite activities, but he had done it without complaining or making comments. She even would guess that he had enjoyed it, and for some reason that made her feel warm inside. Mother Gothel had done all kinds of things for her all her life—but the way Flynn did things was different, and that made them seem more meaningful. She wondered what he meant by it."

"It means he's getting goofy like Dad." Thomas said, still evidently unhappy with his hero's romantic side.

"Shush!" Annabelle waved impatiently at her brother.

Thomas rolled his eyes as his father continued the story.

"Now, way up in the city above them, the townspeople were getting ready for the final stage of the festival. After celebrating all day with food and dancing, it was time to acknowledge the real reason the holiday was held. This year, the citizens of the kingdom noticed their king and queen seemed sadder somehow. Their faces were grave as they silently released their sun-stamped lantern high into the sky. It had been eighteen years since their daughter was stolen from them—eighteen years of waiting, and they were beginning to lose hope."

"Oh no…" Ginger said sadly.

Eugene looked at his children, a soft smile on his face. He nodded, whispering slowly, "It is very sad, that her parents and her people never got to see Rapunzel grow up. Your mother and I count ourselves blessed that we get to see you guys every day—and know that if any of you ever went missing, we'd tear the world apart to find you again. We love you guys more than anything."

Annabelle rested her head against her father's shoulder, murmuring, "We love you too, Dad."

Thomas smiled and nodded in agreement, and Ginger, playing with her father's fingers, asked quietly, "What did the lanterns look like, Daddy?"

"Marshmallow-shaped pillows of light, to be perfectly honest. But, if you remember, we also send lanterns up every year. It was a lot like that—and usually, they started at the palace. After the king and queen sent their lantern into the air, the common people standing in the palace courtyard would release theirs as well. And then, gradually, all along the city streets and marketplaces, the citizens let their lanterns go. Everybody participated out of love and respect for the royal family. It was a whole mass of many different people united in finding their lost princess.

"Meanwhile, out on the water, Flynn and Rapunzel sat in their boat. The thief watched as Rapunzel delicately selected flowers from his hand and set them onto the shimmering surface of the water. The flowers had fallen out of her hair because of a slight wind, and she didn't want them sitting trapped at the bottom of the boat. So she asked Flynn to hold them for her while she carefully sent them floating freely along the river. Flynn smiled slightly, almost wishing that the lanterns _wouldn't_ appear so he could just sit and watch Rapunzel all night long. She really was a beautiful girl."

Here, Thomas made a very exasperated sigh. Ginger shushed him, turning her eyes back on her father.

"Then, suddenly, Rapunzel saw a faint glimmer of light reflected on the water. She glanced up and saw a lantern—the very same lantern her parents had just sent up—rising from behind the walls of the palace. Rapunzel quickly ran to the prow of the boat, wrapping her arms around it as her abrupt movements nearly made the craft tip over. Flynn hastily tried to maintain balance, all the while watching as Rapunzel anxiously gazed up at the single, floating light.

"But that light wasn't the last to come. No, soon others, _many_ others, began to fly into the night sky. Right above the city, hundreds of lanterns were floating upward. They all shone with a pale glow—which only grew into a bright glow as lantern after lantern joined those already bobbing in the wind. And then more lights rose up from the great ships resting in the harbor. They all mingled together, transforming the dark night into a sea of lanterns that turned and drifted gracefully through the air. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It could even be called magical, in a way. And Rapunzel stood watching, the heart of it all."

Eugene looked upward at an imaginary sky of lanterns, "Close your eyes, kids."

They obeyed, hardly daring to breathe as their father continued to speak.

"Now imagine that you had never seen the lanterns up close before. And imagine that all your life, your only dream in the world was to see the floating lights in person. And that you wanted to see them because you felt connected to them for some incredible reason. Imagine that—as you finally watched these beautiful lights—things fell into place, and you believed that you truly belonged. That's exactly how Rapunzel felt at that moment."

He smiled at his children as they opened their eyes. Eugene said, "Rapunzel had never felt this way before—so enveloped in joyous emotions too complicated to describe. She had finally seen her dream come true, and it was better than she had ever thought it could be. But, she remembered what Flynn had said about finding a new dream. And she remembered everything that they had been through together, and how much he had sacrificed to bring her here, to this very spot, to see those shining lanterns.

"Then, Rapunzel heard a faint noise and turned to look at the thief to see that he was holding two glowing lanterns, smiling. In that instant, Rapunzel made her decision, and went to her seat in the boat, saying, 'I have something for you too.' Flynn watched in surprise as she reached underneath her seat and pulled out his satchel. Holding it in front of her, Rapunzel said, 'I should have given it to you before but—I was just scared. And the thing is,' she shrugged, 'I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?' Flynn smiled and pushed the satchel away, replying gently, 'I'm starting to.' She beamed at him as he gave her one of the lanterns. With a single motion, they both released their lanterns into the air at the same time.

"Flynn watched as the two lanterns spiraled around each other, soaring upward through the hundreds of floating lights. He saw that they didn't drift apart, but remained close together amidst all the others. And he realized that it was the same for Rapunzel and himself. He didn't _want_ to leave Rapunzel, ever. She had helped him find himself again by softly peeling back the layers of his old daydream. He was no longer Flynn Rider, with a dream for money and his own private island. He was Eugene Fitzherbert, and his dream was Rapunzel herself—the girl who had changed him into a better man.

"So Flynn took hold of Rapunzel's hands, determined to let her know how he felt. Her fingers were soft in his, and the look she gave him was full of understanding. And at once he knew that she felt the exact same way—and it was wonderful and exhilarating and amazing. Slowly, Flynn brushed back some of Rapunzel's hair from her eyes, cupping her face tenderly in his hand. Then he leaned forward, his eyes closing as-."

"Dad, is this a _kissing-story_?" Thomas blurted, his voice accusatory.

Annabelle glared at him furiously, "Right in the middle, are you serious? Ugh, how annoying can you be?"

"What _does_ 'annoying' mean?" Thomas asked no one in particular, his own annoyance apparent.

Eugene bit his lip to keep himself from bursting out laughing. His shoulders were shaking so hard from trying to contain it, and he thought he had never found something so funny in his entire life. _Only_ his son—his Thomas—would ask a question like that and interrupt one of the most romantic moments of the story. Then Ginger's plea rose above his other children arguing.

"Daddy… story."

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Eugene nodded, "That's right. Sorry, Ginger-snap. All right, let me tell you what happened next."

"Can't we skip it?" Thomas asked, making a face.

His father shook his head, "Nope. But I'll tell you this—Flynn never got to kiss Rapunzel that night."

Ginger frowned in disappointment, "He didn't?"

"No. Because something far more serious interrupted him." He glanced at his son, smirking, "Something far more serious than Thomas, anyway."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author Note**: Sorry to everyone who's already read it, but I decided to rewrite chapter 13 b/c it came out sad and short—so now it's going to be long and happy-ish! :D and… I want to have 15 chapters b/c I'm weird and my favorite number is 15… ;) I also apologize if I mixed up some parts about Flynn's escape—I couldn't find the clip online and I can't remember all the details… Thank you again for all your reviews! :D I really enjoy seeing what you think!

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters

* * *

"What was it, Dad?" Annabelle asked, seeming to forget that she had heard this story a hundred times before.

Eugene sighed, "Well, just as our beloved thief was about to kiss the girl of his dreams, something caught his eye. And it wasn't the warm shine of a floating lantern—instead, it was a gloomy green light bobbing on the distant forest shore. Flynn's eyes widened as he recognized the hulking figures of his ex-partners, the Stabbington brothers. They were glowering at him, their eyes narrowed with evil intent and their craggy faces darkened by shadow. Fear struck at his heart, and he realized they must have seen Rapunzel giving him the satchel. They knew he had the crown—they would probably stop at nothing to get it back.

"Then he heard Rapunzel asking him if everything was all right. Flynn quickly took her hand again, murmuring a 'yes' as his mind raced. Rapunzel was the most important thing right now. He knew his partners, and knew that if they even suspected the power of the girl's hair, they would try to take her from him. He couldn't let that happen. He _had_ to keep her safe—and the best possible way he could do that was to return the crown and apologize for his betrayal. After all, they only wanted the crown, right?"

Ginger held tightly to her father's arm, her eyes wide as he continued to speak.

"Flynn silently rowed their boat away from the warmth of the lanterns and to the chilly forest shore. With the trees overhanging the beach, their branches rustling in the wind, the world felt darker somehow. Fog, rolling in from the ocean, made the shoreline misty and vague. Cruelly twisted shapes seemed to rise ominously up in the eerie darkness. Flynn beached the boat and jumped out, landing upon the wet sand. He grabbed the satchel and glanced back at Rapunzel. 'I have something to take care of, but I'll be right back. I promise.' He said, trying to reassure her. Rapunzel nodded, replying nervously, 'Okay.' Then she watched as Flynn strode away into the cloudy vapor, vanishing from her sight.

"Flynn walked around the next bend to find that Bush-face was carving a piece of driftwood with his hunting knife. His brother rested nonchalantly against the boulders that flanked the beach at this part of the forest. They both looked up as Flynn cleared his throat. 'Well, it's good to see you guys safe and sound,' the thief said, lying through his teeth. 'But I'm sorry for leaving you in the forest and, as an apology, I'll let you keep the crown,' he tossed his satchel at Bush-face's feet. The men stood up and idly kicked the satchel away. Then Bush-face remarked quietly, 'Oh, but we heard that you found something much better than a crown, Rider.' Flynn's eyes widened, and he knew, without knowing he knew, that they meant to capture Rapunzel."

Eugene curled his hands into fists, his voice tightening as he said, "The two brothers overpowered Flynn. No matter how hard he struggled—and how hard he punched—he couldn't throw them off. He couldn't even warn Rapunzel because the moment he opened his mouth a grimy hand would clap over it. And then Eye-patch struck him a severe blow on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. They dragged his limp form over to a sailboat they had stolen. Propping him up against the mast, they quickly tied him into an upright position, slipping the crown into his hand as they fastened his wrists to the steering wheel. Then the Stabbington brothers shoved the boat out into the river, its destination somewhere near the docks of the city guardhouse."

"He couldn't defeat them?" Thomas asked in complete disbelief.

His father shook his head, muttering, "They were too strong. And Flynn was too focused on protecting Rapunzel to bother taking care of himself. It wasn't—it wasn't his fault…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Just the thought of what had happened—and what very well could have happened—made him ache inside. He still couldn't fully cope with the memory even after all these years… it hurt too much.

"What happened, Dad? Did Flynn escape?"

He sighed, "No. And as his boat floated closer to the guardhouse, the Stabbington brothers approached the other end of the beach. Rapunzel looked up as she saw a figure coming towards her from the mists. Thinking it was Flynn, she smiled and said uneasily, 'I thought for a second that you had taken the crown and left me.' And then the Stabbington brothers emerged from the fog," Eugene gritted his teeth, "and they told her that I _had_ left."

Ginger frowned, "You?"

Her father blinked, realizing what he had just said. He smiled slightly, "Sorry—I meant that Flynn—they said that Flynn had left."

"What happened next?"

"They chased her—and for the first time in her life Rapunzel truly understood what Gothel had meant about someone wanting her hair. But thankfully, and this is the _only_ time I'm going to say this, Gothel decided to end the charade she had concocted for the Stabbington brothers. Using a large log, she knocked the two men out. She had known exactly where they would be, for she had told them the location herself. Gothel had planned the whole thing out so she could get back her magic flower. And Rapunzel, frightened and scared and hurt at Flynn's so-called betrayal, ran to her fake mother. Gothel took the sobbing girl back to the tower—even as Flynn's boat struck the docks of the guardhouse.

"The thief woke up to the sound of shouting, and he was temporarily blinded by torchlight as soldiers swarmed the boat. He couldn't understand—what had happened? Where was Rapunzel? Suddenly, he felt the crown being wrenched out his hand and his arms pulled behind his back. Shackles were put on his wrists, and he began to struggle, yelling out Rapunzel's name. 'Let me go! I need to help Rapunzel! She's in trouble!' He tried to escape the guards, still howling into the night as he strained against the men holding him.

"Some distance away, Maximus sat upon the dock, waiting for his friends to come back from seeing the lanterns. The horse's ears perked up at the sound of Flynn's voice. He seemed upset—and was crying out as though his very heart was broken. Maximus's eyes widened as he turned to look out across the water where the forest lay. The horse made up his mind immediately and sprang to his feet. Then, breaking out into a run, he charged up into the city and towards the bridge, determined to get help."

"Did Max find somebody? Did he find Rapunzel?" Ginger asked, gazing at her father's saddened face.

"No, Ginger-snap. Gothel was well on her way to leading Rapunzel back home before Maximus even reached the forest's edge. Instead, the valiant steed took off in a separate direction, his hooves pounding the leaf-strewn earth underneath the trees and black sky. And then, steadily, the night passed on into an early, grey morning. Gothel and Rapunzel had reached the tower sometime before dawn, and using the stairway, the woman took Rapunzel back up into her turret room.

"She sat Rapunzel upon her bed and unwound the careful braid the little girls had made for her. Picking the flowers out of her adopted daughter's hair one at a time, Gothel scolded Rapunzel for leaving the tower. She was convinced that her sly comments would turn Rapunzel against Flynn and everything they had done together. Gothel lied to her, just as she had been doing all those years, and made sure that Rapunzel was too affected by the ordeal to try leaving again. She wanted to keep her magic flower close. She would never let her out of her sight now.

"As a final stroke of evil genius, Gothel told Rapunzel, 'I did warn you, Rapunzel. The world is a cruel and selfish place. And if it ever finds a single drop of sunshine, it destroys it.' Then she closed the door, and Rapunzel lay down on her bed as Pascal patted her leg comfortingly. She sighed and glanced at the flag Flynn had given her at the festival, wishing that it had all just never happened.

"Meanwhile, Flynn paced around in his cell back at the city, his mind full of thoughts of Rapunzel. He did not know what had happened to her. She could be in chains for all he knew—and he groaned at such an idea. He could only hope she was safe though, because he would not be able to help her from here in prison. Just then, the door of his cell was unlocked, and the Captain of the Guard looked grimly in. 'Let's get this over with, Rider.' He said, nodding to the hallway outside. Flynn frowned, 'Get what over with?' The captain looked at him, and the thief nodded, 'Ah.'"

"What are they going to do to him?" Thomas asked quietly.

"Well, as a criminal who had stolen a royal artifact, Flynn had committed crimes against the crown. That amounted to treason and the penalty for treason—was death."

His son sat up quickly, "Death? But he—he can't die. Dad, he can't!"

Eugene nodded, "I know, Thomas, but as a criminal Flynn deserved punishment. However, remember that Maximus had gone to get help."

"What good is a horse going to be?"

"But Max isn't just any horse—Maximus is probably the most intelligent member of the guard. And he knew just where to go to find volunteers. Anyway," Eugene stood up, "this is the part where I'll need your help, Thomas, and we're going to have to step back for a bit so we have enough space."

Thomas joined his father out onto the centermost part of the floor. Eugene smiled, "All right, now while Flynn was marching solemnly down the prison hallway, interesting things were happening in Rapunzel's room back at her tower. After lying down upon her bed, Rapunzel opened her eyes and saw something familiar painted on the ceiling above her. She, of course, had painted it there, but for some reason it looked different.

"Frowning, Rapunzel lifted up the kingdom flag before her eyes and compared its symbol to the flowers painted above her. They were uncannily similar—the exact shape and size. Why, even the number of petals on the flower matched the number of rays on the sunburst. And then she saw that other parts of her ceiling and wall had sunbursts hidden in them. They were everywhere! All around her she could see the crest of the kingdom beaming down at her! And Rapunzel darted to the center of her room, gazing upward at this phenomenon. What did it all mean?

"Suddenly, a memory came to her. It was a strong memory—one of seeing the sun symbol above her. And then she saw a fuzzy outline of a man and a woman that looked like the mosaic of the king and queen she had seen in the marketplace. And the baby girl—the baby princess who had eyes just as green as hers and long blond hair, just like hers. Finally, with a jolt, she remembered trying on the crown of the lost princess. It had fit her head precisely, as if it had been made specifically for her. And then, Rapunzel fell back against her dresser, realizing with absolute conviction that she was the lost princess. She was the one who those lanterns had been sent out for. She was the one—the one that was stolen away from her crib. She _was_ the lost princess!"

Ginger cheered enthusiastically, hugging her sister, "Finally! She finally figured it out!"

Eugene grinned, but Thomas frowned. "Dad, I thought I was supposed to be Flynn—why are you talking about Rapunzel?"

He looked down at his son, "You are Flynn. I just have to say a little bit more before we can start. Now, just as Rapunzel was escaping from Gothel's brainwashing control—Flynn was about to escape from the prison. Led by the guards, Flynn walked down past the cells of other prisoners. His eyes drifted over to one of the cells, and he recognized the pale, red-headed Stabbington brothers lounging on the stone floor. Anger filled him, and he knocked his guards away. Then, jumping up," Eugene leapt upward, "he moved his bound hands from his back to his front and went to the cell. Grabbing Bush-face by his jacket, Flynn slammed him against the bars and barked, 'How did you know about her? Tell me now!' Bush-face stared at him, responding hastily, 'It—it wasn't us! It was the old lady!' Flynn frowned. Old lady… her mother? The guards seized him again and, fighting with them, our thief yelled, 'No! Wait—you don't understand! She's in trouble! Please!' The soldiers continued to push and pull him forward even as he shouted.

"Back in the tower, Gothel had heard the noise of Rapunzel falling against her dresser. She called up to her room, 'Rapunzel, are you all right? What are you doing?' Rapunzel stepped out onto the landing, her eyes wide as she mumbled, 'I'm the lost princess.' Gothel glared at her, 'Speak up, Rapunzel! You know how I _hate_ the mumbling!' Rapunzel straightened and turned to her, retorting, 'I'm the lost princess! Aren't I?' The woman gaped at her—not believing what she had just heard. How had her flower found out? She quickly shook her head, trying to play it off as some silly fantasy Rapunzel had cooked up. But Rapunzel knew better.

"She pushed Gothel away, snapping, 'It was you! It was all _you_!' Gothel looked down at her seriously, muttering, 'Everything I did was to protect you.' Rapunzel shook her head and stormed down the stairs onto the floor of the tower. She said, getting more upset by the moment, 'I've spent my entire life—hiding from people who would use me for my powers—when I should have been hiding from _you_!' Rapunzel turned around, staring defiantly at Gothel.

"The witch questioned her, 'Where will you go? To _him_? He won't be there for you.' Rapunzel's eyes narrowed at this mention of Flynn, and she demanded, 'What did you do to him?' 'That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes.' Gothel answered dismissively. Rapunzel gasped, immediately worried for Flynn's safety. The witch smiled and said calmly, 'Now now, it's all right. Listen to me. Everything,' she raised her hand to set it on Rapunzel's head, 'is as it should be.' 'No!' Rapunzel seized Gothel by the wrist, preventing her from touching her hair. "She shouted, 'You were wrong—about the world! And you were wrong about _me_!' Gothel tried to break free of Rapunzel's grasp, stunned that the girl was so strong and fighting against her. 'And I will _never_,' Rapunzel vowed boldly, 'let you use my hair again!' At last, Gothel managed to pull her hand away and accidentally knocked over a standing mirror. It crashed loudly to the floor, shards of glass scattering everywhere. And then Gothel realized that her power over Rapunzel was gone—broken just like the mirror. If she wanted to keep her flower, she would have to do it by force."

Ginger frowned, "No, stop her! Come on Daddy, get Flynn out of jail so he can whack the old rhino lady!"

Eugene looked at his son, "You're a bad influence. Anyway, Thomas, now we can get to Flynn Rider's escape.

Thomas groaned, "Then why did you tell me to stand up before now?"

His father shrugged apologetically, "Um, sorry. I got ahead of myself."

"All right, Dad, what do we do?"

"Well," Eugene knelt and moved behind his son's back, "I'm going to be the guards. I want you to pretend you're trying to escape, and I'll narrate. Whatever I say, you do, all right?"

"Okay… but I'm not acting goofy."

"I'll take over if that part comes up."

His son nodded uncertainly, allowing his father to gently take hold of his arms. Then Eugene began to walk forward, pushing Thomas carefully ahead of him, "The guards continued to lead Flynn forward, and he continued to struggle." Here Thomas began to squirm vigorously, his father still keeping a firm but light grip on his arms. "And then Flynn saw a tiny ceramic unicorn sitting in a niche in the wall."

"I see a unicorn! I see a uni—wait, why is that important?" Thomas looked up at his father.

Eugene smiled, "Remember Vlad from the Snuggly Duckling? Well _he_ collected ceramic unicorns just like your Uncle Vlad does. Flynn knew this was a sign, and, as the Captain of the Guard continued to move forward, the soldiers keeping hold on the thief were suddenly jerked away."

Eugene released his son's arms and mimed being pulled away, making groaning sounds in the process. "Then," he took a spot in front of Thomas, "the doors slammed shut all around the hallway. 'What's going on here?' The captain roared, pounding on the door that led to the execution yard. A small window in the door opened up, and one of the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling asked politely, 'What's the password?' The captain frowned, muttering, 'What?' 'Nope.' Replied the thug. The captain continued to knock furiously on the door, not noticing that his prisoner no longer had guards. Annoyed, he finally turned around and discovered, to his intense confusion, that Flynn Rider was alone. Flynn simply waved at him."

Thomas flapped his hand excitedly at his father.

Eugene grinned and continued to speak, "While gazing angrily at the insolent thief, the captain did not notice the door opening in front of him. With a swift 'clang!' the soldier fell to the ground as the cupcake-baking ruffian knocked him out with his frying pan. And then-."

"What kind of cupcakes, Daddy?" Ginger asked.

"Strawberry. Anyway, Flynn smiled up at the ruffian and said, 'Frying pans, who knew, right?'"

Thomas smiled at him.

"But some soldiers had heard their captain shouting and broke open a door along the hallway. They spilled out in confusion and skidded to a stop as one of the ruffians—I believe his name was Ulf—began to perform mime for them. They stood, baffled, as this strange little fat man pretended he was in an invisible box. Then, from the other end of the hallway, Vladimir growled and charged at them, completely knocking them down as Ulf silently skipped out of the way.

"Big-nose—the one that looks like Uncle Ralph—unlocked Flynn's shackles and led him down a set of stairs into the main yard. He picked Flynn up and set him onto a board balanced on a set of wheels." Eugene easily lifted his son up and put him down some distance away. "An alarm bell went off in the prison and soldiers began to pour down into the inner courtyard. Hook-hand was there, and he gave Flynn a series of instructions: 'Head down.'"

"Head down." Thomas said, ducking down.

"'Arms in.'"

"Arms in."

"'Knees apart.'"

"Knees apart." His son obediently spread his legs apart.

Eugene smiled and suddenly jumped forward, scooping up his son in his arms and raising him high into the air, "With a 'boom!' Vladimir landed onto the other end of the board and his weight sent Flynn flying upward. The thief yelled in fright," Thomas began to holler as his father 'flew' him around the room, though he sounded more excited than upset, "as he ascended into the air. Soldiers on the ground gazed upward at this weird, flying man. Then suddenly, Flynn landed on the wide, strong back of Maximus."

Eugene put his son down and said, panting, "You can sit down now, Thomas."

Thomas tottered dizzily back towards his sisters, a wide grin on his face. He looked at Ginger, announcing, "I'm Flynn Rider and I escaped from prison."

"Shhh! Daddy, what happened next?"

Eugene smiled, "Well, Flynn was surprised to see Maximus there, busting him out of prison when he had just spent the last few days trying to arrest him. The thief stared at the horse, and muttered, 'Maximus? You brought them?' Maximus looked pleased with himself. 'Thank you,' Flynn said gravely, 'no, really thank you. Listen, I know we've had our difference but I think—all this time—we were just misunderstanding each other and-.' Maximus rolled his eyes. Flynn nodded quickly, 'You're right, we should go.'

"The door of the turret behind them burst open and soldiers ran out, shooting their cross bows. Flynn took Maximus's reins as the horse ran forward, ducking the incoming missiles. More guards were approaching from the side, and Flynn realized that soon Maximus would run out of wall to gallop on. He attempted to point this out to the horse: 'Um, Maximus—Max!' The horse leapt off from the end of the wall, soaring over the streets of the city and landing onto a roof. Shingles were flung everywhere as Maximus's hooves plowed along the rooftop—and then the horse jumped again, with Flynn hanging on for dear life and wondering if the animal had gone insane. Landing neatly upon the road below, Maximus began to sprint onward to the city gates.

"Flynn grinned and tightened his hold on the horse's reins, urging him, 'Okay Max, let's see how fast you can run.' With a loud neigh, Maximus reared back and thundered down the last block before racing out of the city gates and onto the bridge. The thief stared ahead as his ride left the bridge and entered the trees of the forest. They dodged left and right, Maximus easily compensating for each turn. Flynn didn't even have to lead him, really, because Maximus knew exactly where he wanted to go.

"And as he rode, Flynn thought about the girl with ridiculously long hair. She was someone he would do anything for, and he knew that her mother—Gothel—would not give her flower up easily. If she had hired the Stabbington brothers, the crazy woman could be capable of much more. He had to make sure Rapunzel was safe. Even if it took everything he had to offer, he was willing to give it all up to save the girl he loved."

"Did he love her, Dad?" Annabelle asked, watching as her father came back to sit between her and her sister.

Eugene nodded, "I think he did—even if he hadn't quite realized it yet."

Ginger smiled, "So he found Rapunzel?"

Her father smiled back, "Darting into the secret passage, Flynn and Maximus emerged into the basin that held the tower. The sky was grey overhead, threatening a summer rainstorm, and the wind cool as Flynn jumped down from the horse and ran to the base of the tower."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author Note**: Wow—only one more chapter after this one! Hard to believe, huh? Well, once again, thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome! :D Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its story, and its characters

* * *

"What happened? Did he use the secret staircase?" Thomas asked.

Eugene shook his head, "Flynn didn't know about the staircase. He just looked upward and saw the closed shutters of the tower window. Breathing hard from the ride, he called up, 'Rapunzel?' There was no answer, and, cupping his hands over his mouth, Flynn cried again in desperation, 'Rapunzel let down your hair!' After another second, the thief began to climb up the side of the tower, finding handholds and footholds in the rough stone. He had to reach her—he had to make sure that she was okay. Then, with a faint creaking noise, the shutters opened above him. Flynn watched, his heart filling with relief, as long, blonde hair tumbled out of the window. He seized the golden mane, using his strong arms to pull himself upward as wind buffeted him from all sides.

"Flynn reached the windowsill and clambered up and into the tower room, panting, 'Rapunzel—I thought I'd never see you again.' He looked up, and his smile of joy disappeared when he saw that Rapunzel, her hair trailing to the window, was chained against the opposite wall. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she tried to yell a warning through the gag binding her mouth. But her warning came too late. Suddenly, Flynn felt a horribly excruciating pain in his side. Something cold, hard, and dreadfully sharp had just slid into his lower chest and punctured several important things. Then, quite as painfully, the dagger was withdrawn maliciously from his body, and Gothel watched impassively as Flynn fell to the floor."

"No!" Ginger shouted, her eyes wide in shock.

"Dad…" Annabelle whispered sadly.

Thomas shook his head numbly, staring at his father, "It can't—not _Flynn_!"

Eugene gently took the hands of both his daughters and sighed, continuing the story: "Rapunzel screamed as Flynn collapsed onto the flagstones, clutching at his bleeding side. She strained against the chains about her wrists, her green eyes fixed on the man who had come to save her. Gothel gestured at Flynn, chiding over his groans, 'Now look what you've done, Rapunzel. But don't worry, dear,' she said calmly, walking past Flynn and towards her captured flower, 'our secret will die with him.' Rapunzel continued to fight against her shackles, scrambling to reach the moaning thief.

"Gothel sheathed her dagger and seized Rapunzel's chains, muttering, 'And as for _us_-,' she let out a cruel laugh, '-we are going where _no one_ will ever find you again!' Pascal, who had been watching from the shadows, ran out and clamped his tiny mouth over the hem of Gothel's dress to prevent her from keeping Rapunzel back. The witch sneered down at the chameleon and angrily kicked the little reptile away."

"Pascal?" Ginger whimpered, checking to ensure that the snoozing chameleon in her lap was all right.

"He's fine, darling." Eugene said, even as his youngest daughter snuggled closer to him.

"What about Flynn?" Thomas asked, still worried for his hero.

His father narrated carefully, "From where he lay on the floor, Flynn stared blearily up through pain-misted eyes. He could vaguely hear Rapunzel still yelling around her gag, and every shriek made his heart hurt with agony that had nothing to do with the warm blood staining his vest and shirt. Then, inexplicably, his hearing and vision sharpened, and he saw that Gothel was having trouble tugging Rapunzel towards the hidden trapdoor. 'Rapunzel, really!' The witch shouted, jerking the girl backward. 'Enough already! _Stop_—_fighting_—_me_!' With a tremendous heave, Rapunzel fell back down onto the floor, her arms twisting behind her because of the chains. She turned around to glare at Gothel, her gag now lying loosely around her neck. She gasped out in anger, '_No_! I won't stop! For every minute—of the rest of my life—I will fight! I will _never_,' she shuddered, 'stop trying to get away from you!'

"Gothel looked fiercely down at her struggling flower, reading the pain, the desperation, the truth in those green eyes. She wouldn't stop—the girl would never stop being a burden to her. And then Rapunzel continued to speak, her voice serious, 'But, if you let me save him, I will go with you.' Gothel relaxed her grip on the chains, frowning. Did the girl care more about that thief than for her own freedom?

"Flynn weakly tried to get up, protesting, 'No—no _Rapunzel_…' She shouldn't sacrifice anything for him—he couldn't let her. But Rapunzel ignored his plea and gazed up at the woman who had held her captive for eighteen years. She told Gothel, 'I'll never run—I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him, and you and I will be together—_forever_—just like you want! Everything will be the way it was.' Rapunzel gritted her teeth, 'I promise—just like you want. Just-let-me-_heal_-him!' Gothel glared at her flower, considering the proposition. It would be far easier to find a new life if the girl would stop fighting her. And she knew, no matter what happened, that Rapunzel _always_ kept her promises. Especially if they dealt with something she cared about—and evidently she cared about that thief a lot."

"Does Rapunzel heal him?" Ginger asked, lifting up her sad little face from where she had buried it into her father's side.

Eugene took a deep breath, "Well, Gothel unshackled Rapunzel and went over to the thief. Flynn had managed to prop himself up against the banister of the stairway leading to Rapunzel's room. Shrinking away from the woman, he felt Gothel roughly securing his right hand with one of the heavy iron cuffs. Then Gothel jerked him towards her, hissing, 'In case you get any ideas about following us.' She tossed his arm back onto his injured chest, sweeping away as Rapunzel knelt next to the coughing thief.

"The girl tenderly stroked Flynn's tormented face, stammering his name, 'Eu—Eugene!' She had never seen him so weak before—she knew all his strength was leaving him—and she had to act fast if she was going to save him. Gingerly, Rapunzel reached down and removed his hand from where it had been covering his wound. She winced, seeing how deep and angry red the gash was. He had already lost a lot of blood.

"'Oh,' Rapunzel apologized, brushing back her hair, 'I'm so sorry. Everything's going to be okay, though.' She gathered up a lock of her hair and tried to put it on Flynn's wound, but he pushed her arm away, groaning, 'No, Rapunzel.' She tried again, telling him even as he shoved her arm away, 'I promise—you have to trust me…' He shook his head, moaning, 'No.' Rapunzel pleaded with him, 'Come on—you just have to breathe.' And then she saw his face—his brown eyes gazing up into hers. Flynn coughed painfully, 'I can't let you do this.' She stared at him, at the familiar lines of his face now twisted in pain, and she whispered, 'And I _can't_ let you die.' She set a hand on his cheek, and the thief continued to object, muttering, 'But if you do this—then you'll die.'"

Eugene looked at his children, and said softly, "He didn't want her to lose her freedom—especially since she had only truly had it for two days. He wanted to make sure that she got the chance to live, and he knew that as soon as Rapunzel had healed him—she would lose everything. But then Rapunzel was talking again, and Flynn let his hand slip down to his side. He could feel something cold and flat—one of the jagged pieces of the mirror. An idea formed in his mind and, as Rapunzel opened her mouth to sing, Flynn said her name. She stopped as he lifted a hand to pull back her bangs from her forehead—just like he had done on the boat amid all the lanterns. And then Flynn moved forward, suddenly grabbing the blonde tresses just behind her neck. Using his last ounce of strength, Flynn pulled the mirror shard upward, cutting every single strand of her hair."

Thomas stared at his father, mumbling, "He—he cut her hair? But…"

"That means she can't heal him!" Ginger cried, pressing down on Eugene's arm. "No! _Why_? Why'd he do it?"

Eugene looked down at his youngest daughter's face, and then glanced at Annabelle, noticing that she had tears in her eyes. He swallowed hard. This was not going to be easy.

Eugene sighed, responding quietly, "He did it, Ginger-snap, because he loved her. And any sacrifice, any cost, any pain was worth paying. He wanted to make sure that Gothel—that _no_ _one_—would ever have control over Rapunzel again. So Flynn cut her hair, and by doing that, he cut the last chain keeping her away from freedom."

"What happened next, Dad? Did Flynn—what happened next?" Thomas asked anxiously.

His father said, "Immediately, after Flynn cut Rapunzel's hair, it transformed to brown. Rapunzel reached up to grasp her now extremely short locks, exclaiming, 'Eugene! Wha-?' She picked up the long hair that had fallen onto her lap, watching as the dark brown raced up its length. Gothel's eyes popped in shock and fury. '_NO_!' The witch tried to gather up the rapidly changing hair in her arms, demanding it to return to gold. 'No! No, no, no!' Gothel gazed at the hair in her hand, feeling its power disappear. Her muscles instantly turned weak—her skin pale and wrinkly—and her hair switched from dark to almost transparent white. Her face changed also, its lush youthfulness vanishing so that it appeared as an old, sickly mask.

"'What have you done?' Gothel screeched. 'What have you done?' She tossed aside the useless, normal hair and ran over to the broken mirror. Staring into the cracked glass, Gothel backed up in horror at her own reflection. She continued to step backwards, getting closer and closer to the open window as her age caught up with her. Then, before anyone could do anything, Gothel tripped and fell out of the window, screaming in misery. Down, down, down she fell. And then, with a faint whoosh—Gothel's cloak hit the ground, and dust spread out from beneath it. And she was gone."

All his children stared up at him, eyes wide, waiting for him to continue.

"Breathing hard, Rapunzel looked away from the window to find that Flynn had slumped to the floor. She quickly pulled him into her lap, cradling his head in her hands. The girl shook her head, muttering, 'No no no no no. Eugene?' Flynn coughed feebly, barely able to open his eyes now. Rapunzel caressed his cheek, pleading with him, 'No… look at me. Look at me—I'm right here. Don't go—stay with me _Eugene_!' She grabbed his hand, bringing it to her hair as she tried to sing the healing song. She managed to sing the first few verses when Flynn interrupted her, 'Rapunzel—hey. Rapunzel.' Her face crumpled in sadness, and she held his hand against her cheek, whispering, 'What?'"

Annabelle pressed her face into her father's shoulder, crying silently.

"Then Flynn said, softly, 'You were my new dream.' Rapunzel felt tears burning at the corners of her eyes, remembering what he had said out on the water. She replied tearfully, 'And you were mine.' And then his pale face grew paler still, and with a sigh of release, Flynn died."

Ginger huddled against her father, gazing blankly at the floor in front of her. Her sister continued to sob quietly on the other side of Eugene, and he found himself looking at the stunned face of his son. Thomas raised his eyes to meet his father's, muttering in a hollow voice, "You don't mean dead _dead_? I mean, Flynn didn't really…" He seemed unable to finish his question. He just stared up at his father, waiting for him to deny the impossible. His hero could not die.

Eugene then spoke calmly, "Rapunzel gazed down at the man she had come to value more than life itself. He had sacrificed everything for her. And now he was gone, and Rapunzel was alone. Without knowing why she did it, Rapunzel began to sing the healing song again. She stroked the cold face of her thief, murmuring quietly, each word filled with sorrow, 'Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fate's design. Save what has been lost… bring back what once was mine.' She bent her head over Flynn's, whispering, 'What once was mine…' And then Rapunzel was crying, her tears falling onto Flynn's still face. The sky outside grew darker, and the tower, darker still. And the long, shorn hair lay dead and useless upon the floor." He sighed, finishing, "And Rapunzel cried."

There was absolute silence in the room. Well, absolute in the sense of the noise that was being made was a quiet noise. It only consisted of Annabelle crying, and Ginger whimpering, and Thomas just unable to speak—which spoke volumes in itself. Eugene listened to this silence, wondering if it really _had_ been that quiet and lonely in the tower. For a moment, he felt a dull pain in his heart, and he wished his wife were there with him.

Thomas looked up slowly at his father, "Is that the end of the story?"

Eugene smiled, "If that was the end of the story, I never would have told it to you. No. The end of this story is much, much happier."

All three of his children turned to gaze at him. Annabelle noisily wiped her nose while Ginger gave a slight hiccup. Thomas just watched his father, hardly daring to breathe.

"Everyone composed themselves?" He asked, grinning slightly. "Okay. After she finished the song, one of Rapunzel's tears slipped from a green eye and fell onto Flynn Rider's face. For a second, all was still. And then the tear sank into his cheek, and his skin began to glow with a golden light. Rapunzel sat up, her eyes still wet, and watched in amazement as a shimmering radiance began to blossom from Flynn's wound. It was a bright, shining light that twisted and turned, its tendrils shooting up into the gloomy rafters of the tower. It spread outward like some wild, beautiful plant, filling the room with sunlight. It was magical. Then as quickly as it had come, it left.

"Amazed at what had just happened, Rapunzel reached out to check Flynn's wound. The deep cut had vanished, leaving unbroken skin behind as though it had never been. She quickly turned to his face, gazing at it intently. If it had worked—if it _really_ had worked…"

"Well did it work?" Thomas demanded, gaping at his father.

Eugene grinned at his son's impatience. He cleared his throat, "Well, Flynn's eyes slowly opened-."

"YES!" Thomas crowed, jumping up and punching the air.

Annabelle frowned at her brother, "Stop talking! Let Dad finish!"

Her brother looked around in confusion, "It's over, right? I mean—Flynn's _alive_."

Eugene nodded, "Yes, Flynn is alive, but it's not over yet. And then Flynn said Rapunzel's name. The girl nodded, responding, 'Eugene?' The thief smiled slightly, and asked with that same rougish air, 'Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?' Rapunzel laughed and jumped on him, hugging him around his neck. Flynn held her tightly to himself, hardly believing he deserved to see her again. And then, well, Rapunzel seized his vest and kissed him, rather enthusiastically."

Ginger cheered, hugging her father's arm. Thomas stopped punching the air and let out a disappointed groan. Annabelle just beamed at her father, her eyes bright with happiness.

"And, not to get into details, Flynn returned the gesture." Eugene smirked in a rather self-satisfied way.

"Now," he said, looking around at his children, "before I finish up and tell you about Rapunzel meeting her parents, there is something you should probably know."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author Note**: Now, I have to say, that I think I had waaay more fun writing this story than you guys did reading it :D Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing and for sticking with it for so long, and thank you also if you just read—b/c that means you thought it worth reading and I appreciate it :D Warning: Beware of fluff at the end! O.O though of course, if you are afraid of fluff, then what on earth are you doing reading a fanfic about a Disney animated musical when those are made of nothing but FLUFF! haha

_Soli Deo Gloria_

**Disclaimer**: Disney owns Tangled, its characters, and its story

* * *

"What should we know?" Ginger asked curiously.

"You should know," Eugene smiled at them, "that I am Flynn Rider."

Thomas frowned, "Huh? You're too goofy to be Flynn Rider."

Eugene sighed, "Not if you paid attention to the story. Oh, and by the way, Rapunzel's your mother."

"WHAT?" Thomas shouted, his eyes wide with astonishment.

His father shrugged, "I thought you'd catch on eventually. But then I have to remember you guys are still pretty young and no one ever calls me Flynn Rider anymore."

"But—but… I don't get it." Ginger said, her forehead scrunched up in confusion.

Eugene tried to explain, "Ginger-snap, do you remember what color Rapunzel's hair changed to when I cut it?"

"Brown."

"Exactly. And it's short, isn't it? Like yours?"

She nodded slowly, reaching up to finger her short locks.

"And your mother has the exact same green eyes as Rapunzel. And she can cook like Rapunzel, she can talk like her, she can draw like her, and," he grinned, "she most _definitely_ can kiss like her."

"Ew!" Thomas looked offended. "Flynn Rider did turn goofy just like you do with Mom! It makes sense!"

"And you said at the beginning that this was the story of how you died." Annabelle pointed out, in case her younger siblings had not made the connection.

Ginger gasped and gazed up at her father, whispering, "Did you _die_?"

His face softened, "Well, yes. But only for a short while and then I got better. Your mother cried floods of tears on me and I came back, right as rain."

"DADDY!" He felt the wind knocked out of him as his youngest wrapped her tiny arms around his middle and squeezed.

"I'm okay, sweetie. You can—let—go…" Eugene struggled for breath, amazed that the little girl could hug so tightly.

Thomas, meanwhile, was putting it all together.

"So that means—the lanterns! And the sun! And Maximus—and the frog! And Uncle Albert, Uncle Ralph, Uncle Vlad—and all our other uncles!" He turned to look at his wheezing father, finishing dramatically, "AND CUPCAKES!"

Eugene, trying to pry his daughter from around his chest, nodded distractedly, "Yes, Thomas, the cupcakes as well. Ginger-snap," he smiled down at the forlorn face looking up at him, "I'm quite okay. You can let go."

Ginger released her father, but still kept a close eye on him in case he decided to suddenly evaporate into thin air. Eugene grinned, "Can you add anything else to that list, Thomas?"

He nodded eagerly, "_That's_ how you got the frying pan! So you really did beat up those guards?"

"Yep. _And_ I escaped from prison—with the help of all your uncles and Max."

"Wow Dad." His son grinned up at him in undisguised admiration. "Wow."

"But remember, I was a thief once and that's bad. _Bad_."

"Bad." Thomas agreed, still grinning in a way that made his father slightly uncomfortable.

"Dad, tell them the rest of the story." Annabelle said, meeting her father's eyes.

Eugene nodded and cleared his throat, "All right. It's a very short part but you ought to hear about it. After Rapunzel explained to me that she was the lost princess—and she had explain this several times because I didn't believe her—we left the tower. Maximus took us all the way back to the city, and both Rapunzel and I were extremely nervous. She was nervous because, for the first time in her life, she was going to meet her true family. I was nervous because I had just escaped from prison and I wasn't too keen on going back. However, somehow we managed to talk our way past the soldiers and finally stood on the balcony overlooking the palace courtyard, waiting for the king and queen—your grandparents—to come out.

"The morning, which had started out so grey and dreary, had brightened up by now. The city rooftops in front of us were shining in the sunlight, and the ocean itself gleamed like diamonds. Rapunzel looked at me apprehensively, brushing back her hair. She was searching for reassurance, and I silently offered my hand for her to grip. And in that action, I promised her that I would never leave her.

"Suddenly, the doors of the palace opened behind us. We turned, watching as a rather tall, broad-shoulder man and slender woman walked out. I knew instantly, upon seeing the queen's face, that she was most certainly Rapunzel's mother. She had the same green eyes and her hair was the same shade of brown. Slowly, the queen approached her daughter. She slid a hand underneath Rapunzel's chin, smiling tearfully. And then she embraced Rapunzel, smoothing down her hair. And then the king came over and with a deep chuckle he enveloped them both in a bear hug, sinking down with them to the balcony floor."

"What did you do, Dad?" Thomas asked.

"What did I do? Well, your grandmother held out her hand and I took it, expecting a handshake. Instead the queen pulled me down into the hug and for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. And it's never changed since then."

"So all you did was just hug?"

Eugene smiled, "Yes. And, to demonstrate, come here you-," he grabbed his protesting son and hugged him tightly, kissing him soundly on the top of his head.

Thomas tried to wriggle out of his father's arms, pleading, "No—Dad! Get off! _Please_!"

His father laughed and released him, continuing his narrative, "Well, you can imagine what happened next. The kingdom rejoiced—for their lost princess had returned. The party lasted an entire week and, honestly, I don't remember most of it.

"Dreams came true all over the place. Your Uncle Albert went on to become the most famous concert pianist in the world! And Uncle Ralph eventually met his true love—your Aunt Miri. Then, thanks to Maximus, crime in the kingdom disappeared almost overnight… as did most of the apples."

"He does like apples." Ginger said happily.

"Yes he does. And Pascal," Eugene smiled at the still-sleeping chameleon, "well, he never changed. At last, Rapunzel had come home. And she finally had a real family. She was a princess worth waiting for. Beloved by all, she led her kingdom with the same grace and wisdom as her parents did before her. And, as for me, well, I started going by Eugene again, stopped thieving, and basically, turned it all around. But I know what the big question is."

He looked down at his children, "Did Rapunzel and I ever get married? Well, I'm pleased to tell you that after years and years of asking and asking and _asking_," he grinned at his youngest daughter, "I finally said yes."

"Eugene!"

All four of them turned around, surprised to find the Princess of Corona standing in the doorway. She looked exactly how Eugene had described her: petite, sweet, with short-cropped brown hair—the exact way, in fact, that he had cut it so many years ago.

Nervously, Eugene asked, "Yes, dear?"

The Princess frowned at her husband, "That's not how it happened and you know it."

"Is that true?" Thomas asked suspiciously.

"Well-," Eugene sighed and let out a low laugh, "All right, I asked her."

"Did she say yes?" Ginger watched as her mother walked over to them.

Rapunzel smiled, kneeling down and hugging Eugene around his neck, "She did. And we're living happily ever after."

"Yes," Eugene reached up and clasped her wrist, looking from her to their children, "yes we are."

* * *

Eugene rose to his feet, stretching the kinks out of his back. His son began looking for his slingshot, and he said, lazily, "It's over by the toy chest, Thomas. You might have to go through a few dolls but you should find it."

His son groaned, "_Dolls_?"

Eugene shrugged, "I knew you wouldn't look over there."

"Tom, don't forget you have a haircut this afternoon." Rapunzel said as she hugged Annabelle. Eugene heard a rebellious sigh from Thomas.

"How was your afternoon, dear?" Rapunzel asked, smoothing back her daughter's hair.

She smiled, "It was good. Dad and I made peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches."

"They were tasty! Even Pascal had some!" Ginger smiled and showed her mother the dozing chameleon in her hands.

"Really? Did he steal your father's sandwich again?"

Her youngest daughter nodded, "Yep."

"Well, he loves to pick on your father. Ginger, you've got grape jelly all over your face."

Annabelle took her sister's hand, "I'll take care of it, Mom. Come on, Ginger. Let's clean you up and then go outside. We can draw with the chalk."

"I'll join you girls after Tom gets his hair cut." Rapunzel called after them. Then she turned to her husband, frowning, "Why did you give them peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches _again_?"

"It's the only thing I can make without getting Chef Armando-."

"Arnold." She corrected smoothly.

He followed her out into the hallway, "Yeah, him. It's the only thing I could think of without getting him involved. But back to what's really important—how's ruling the kingdom?"

"Not too bad. I just can't wait until Father and Mother come back from visiting King Geoffrey and his wife. But it will be another day or so according to their last letter. Apparently, Father likes hunting with the king too much."

"I thought they went on state business only?"

Rapunzel smiled, "Yes, well, state business turned rapidly into pleasure when my father and Geoffrey decided to have their meeting coincide with the best hunting season they've had in years."

"I hope your mom's found something to do in the meantime?"

Rapunzel stopped just inside the doorway, "She is. Apparently she's known the queen ever since she was a girl and they have a lot of catching up to do. I think they're enjoying their vacation."

Her husband sighed wistfully, "Wish we could go on vacation."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know—an island faraway. You, me—_alone_." He grinned at her.

"Why do your dreams always take place on islands?"

"Now that is a long story I don't really want to get into."

"Speaking of stories—did the kids enjoy yours?" Rapunzel asked.

Eugene shrugged, "As much as any kid can. Thomas was disappointed that it turned into a 'kissing story', but he'll warm up to it eventually. But we had fun. We laughed, we cried, we had a good time."

She glanced at him slyly, "Now that you mention crying—I don't remember crying _floods_ of tears."

"I may have taken some dramatic license." Her husband said, smirking.

"Well," she smiled warmly at him, "I suppose I can forgive you that."

"I certainly hope so."

Rapunzel frowned, brushing back his bangs, "Why do you have a bruise on your forehead?"

Eugene sighed, "Your son decided to use me as target practice."

"_My_ son?"

"Well-," he caught her gaze and shrugged, "-all right, _our_ son decided to try out his slingshot."

"Looks like he found his mark."

"It still doesn't compare to having a frying pan bashing into my head. _Especially_ when it's wielded by someone with such an extraordinary flair for knocking a poor fellow off his feet."

"Oh Eugene…" She rolled her eyes.

At that moment, however, their son raced past them, waving his slingshot and howling something about a haircut.

Eugene groaned, "Our son—future king of Corona."

"Good thing he's just like you." Rapunzel said teasingly.

"Yeah, well you say that now. Just wait until later. Anyway, do you want me to come and hold the little terror down for his haircut?"

"Probably. Although it's kind-of fun to watch the court barber chase Tom around the room."

Eugene grinned, "Well I don't have to catch him _immediately_. Besides, he's actually quite fast for his age so I might not catch him at all."

"Maybe." She smiled up at him.

"What does that mean?"

Rapunzel rested a hand on his shoulder, shrugging, "Oh, I think you could catch him. After all, you have a reputation for being 'uncatchable' and you know all the intricate techniques involved."

"Do I?" He raised an eyebrow, "Well maybe we can get Albert, Vlad, Ralph and the boys to come and entertain the kids next week. And then we can discuss my uncatchability on that island I was talking about."

"Surrounded by piles of money?"

"Nah. Just you. You're way more fun than a pile of money."

Rapunzel laughed and turned around to lean back against his chest as he slid his arms around her waist, hugging her close. Eugene breathed in the light scent of lavender, the soft ends of her hair tickling his very impressive nose.

"I missed you today." He said simply.

"And I missed you."

Slowly, Eugene began to rock her from side to side, his eyes closing as he sang softly: "I've got a dream… I've got a dream… Her name's Rapunzel… I have my dream…"

"Eugene?" His wife murmured quietly.

"Hmmm?"

"Tell me about this island."

"Oh, it's a very nice island. It has white sand, aquamarine surf, and seashells litter the beach—but not so much that you hurt your feet out walking on them. Then of course there's the sky, which lights up like fire during sunsets and turns into a peacock-blue sea of stars at night."

"Peacock-blue?"

Eugene smiled, "_I _think it's peacock-blue. But I don't have an artist's eye, so what do I know about color?"

"Not a thing in the world." Rapunzel replied, setting her hand on his face and kissing him—it has to be said—rather enthusiastically. Eugene responded in kind, absolutely loving the way she felt in his arms. There was a few seconds of uninterrupted peace. Then came a slight cough.

"Excuse me, your Highnesses?"

The royal couple looked around to see a nervous servant boy standing a few yards away, his face red.

Eugene frowned, "Why do they _always_ find us in the hallway?"

Rapunzel smiled, "Maybe we should find a more secluded hallway. Did you need something, Alfred?"

The servant boy cleared his throat, "Um, my master—the court barber—just wanted you to know that the crown prince has barricaded himself in the royal broom closet and refuses to come out. He keeps-," Alfred smirked despite himself, "-well, he keeps threatening to steal our pet frog."

"Thomas." Eugene groaned.

His wife sighed and took his hand, "Come on, dear. We can talk about that island some other time."

The Princess and Prince Consort of Corona followed the servant down the hallway and towards the ruckus the court barber was causing as he tried to reason with that notorious thief, the ever-elusive, superhumanly handsome, dashing Flynn Rider.


End file.
